Province announces $350K for LiUNA training program
The Ontario government announced an investment of $350,000 in a construction-training program mostly aimed at Indigenous populations in .
The program, which is being led by the by LiUNA Local 1089 Training Centre, aims to train as many as 60 people for a range of construction careers, including cement finisher and construction craft worker. It will offer 12 weeks of training on such basic skills as construction safety, material handling, introduction to blueprints and specifications, introduction to construction tools and scaffolding.
Participants will also have the opportunity to earn certificates in such courses as tool usage, working at heights, confined spaces and first aid.
Money for the program is being provided by the province through its $115-million Skills Development Fund. The fund was created through the province’s 2021 budget to address challenges to hiring, training and retraining workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Construction workers are the backbone of our communities, building the hospitals we’re born in, the schools where we learn, the broadband that connects us, the pipelines to heat our homes and the roads we travel on,” said Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton. “Now, more than ever, these in-demand jobs can provide a stable, well-paying career path, particularly for those who have been hit hard by job losses in the last year. This investment will help ensure anyone can access opportunities in the trades.”
LiUNA will work with field representatives and local employers to help participants secure jobs or apprenticeships after training. The union will also provide free private transportation to training sessions for all participants.
“LiUNA training is a gateway to empowering a viable career path in the construction industry. Dismantling barriers and ensuring that opportunity is equally distributed, through outreach and apprenticeship programs, is of utmost importance in advancing opportunities for an inclusive workforce that remains at the forefront of building and strengthening the province,” said Joseph Mancinelli, LiUNA International Vice President and Regional Manager of Central and Eastern Canada.
The project will also prepare 12 current tradespeople to deliver training support to those who are new to the trades through a train-the-trainer program that includes shadowing ongoing courses including pipe laying and construction craft work. This will give them the chance to expand their knowledge while teaching them how to pass on their experience to future journeypersons.
LiUNA will offer four cohorts of training will be offered between June 2021 and March 2022. For more information on the training project and how to apply, contact LiUNA at 519-332-1089.