DELTA, B.C. — The Government of Canada will give $762,000 to the UA Piping Industry College of BC to help students complete their skilled trades training.
The funding goes to the college’s Diversity in the Workplace — Trades Training Leading to Apprenticeship project, which will support approximately 90 high school students from key groups such as women, Indigenous people and newly arrived immigrants from Delta, Hazelton, Kitimat, Kitwanga, Stewart, Thornhill and the Lower Mainland looking to build careers in the skilled trades.
The funding falls under the Union Training and Innovation Program, which distributes $25 million annually for union-based apprenticeship training.
“The Union Training and Innovation Program will help new generations of workers benefit from the mentorship and training that unions and other training organizations are so well equipped to offer. Through this project, our government is building stronger communities and strengthening the middle class,” said federal Minister of Public Services and Procurement Carla Qualtrough in a statement.
Students will first receive essential skills upgrading along with hands-on experience in several high-demand trades, followed by a program to teach the basics of Red Seal construction trades.
Students will have access to foundational courses in piping, welding and metal fabrication. The project will cover the travel expenses of instructional staff as well as protective gear for students.
“UA Local 170 and the UA Piping Industry College of BC, with funding support from the Union Training and Innovation Program, look forward to providing accessible training to individuals traditionally under-represented in the construction trades,” said UA Piping Industry College of BC apprenticeship and training executive director Barry Donaldson.
“This will provide opportunities for people, who may not otherwise be able, to become skilled tradespeople and to contribute to our workforce and growing economy. This will also ensure we are able to keep jobs local and keep members of our communities readily employed.”
The Union Training and Innovation Program was announced in the 2016 federal budget and is open to all unions including those that don’t provide training recognized by provinces and territories and those that do not operate training facilities.
The program has two streams. Stream 1 assists unions in purchasing new and up-to-date training equipment and Stream 2 looks at approaches to reduce limits on apprenticeship outcomes.
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