Trade school trains Natives only

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One of a kind, the Ontario School of Masonry is located just outside Gravenhurst on a 37-acre piece of land that belongs to Rolf Harro Cohrs. Cohrs, 57, founded the school six years ago and is the training director.

"We only permit Metis and Natives to our school and they come here for three to six months and they are guaranteed employment on completion of training," he said.

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"We're not prejudiced. Our licence states that. We're licensed as a Metis/Native trade school. And we're the only one."

Cohrs wanted it that way, because he could relate to the employment problems faced by Aboriginal people.

He himself originated from Friis, people he calls a racial minority in Germany that makes up only 15 per cent of the population.

"Having lived here for a long time (since age 11) I looked at the employment market . . . I have found over the years that a lot of jobs are not made available to Native individuals either through prejudices or because of a lack of training."

When Cohrs, a professional cement finisher, retired from his own concrete company, he decided "to do something for a segment of society that nobody was helping. And so I decided that I was going to open up a school strictly for Natives and Metis."

Students "are funded through a central organization, and that could be like on a reserve or where a group of reserves get together and they have somebody administer their funds. Then they pay for the school to come here, but basically all our funding comes through Indian Affairs in the United States and in Canada."

The funding covers room-and-board, tuition, training material, accident insurance and the professional tool kit that students get to keep.

"The school setting, it's typical Muskoka, a lot of flat land, but there's rock, a small creek and a pond on the property. We have lots of deer; there's some moose. We have three buildings up and there's a big training centre just being completed . . . when you come to the school, it looks like a huge job site."

The students live at school and build on it as part of their hands-on training. "And it's the only way-you can't do it in a classroom setting," said Cohrs.

The students have just finished building a common room onto the school. "They did a huge fireplace there, really ornamental. So the guys that are on advanced course learn to do this. So the school gets a benefit of the structures, and the student gets a benefit of having done it. And then they're ready for employment," Cohrs added.

"But quite often we get students staying for an advanced program . . . (to) get into the real fancy type of work or take an extra course. Instead of just taking brick and block, they may want to stay and learn restoration work or take stone masonry for another three months."

This winter, 10 students are enrolled. Twenty students will be enrolled for the spring term that starts in April.

The program, which provides pre-apprenticeship training, teaches life skills, masonry trade, and gives students employment.

"We have contractors on a waiting list . . . . We have done job placements as far away as Florida to Oklahoma right out into the Prairies and to the Maritimes."

Cohrs said his help goes beyond training and job placement.

"We ensure that when they go out to work they have a place to live, how to get to work. In other words, we do the entire package of the individual and we know they're going to succeed."

The school's instructors have at least 20 years' experience, are certified or have done their apprenticeship as a mason, and must hold a senior position within a masonry company.

Occasionally, the school sends out instructors to teach on reserves. "We actually do economic development on Indian reserves. Like we will build houses, bridges, commercial building . . . utilizing their own members and teaching them how to build at the same time," Cohrs added.