Federal funding boosts construction job training

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On Jan. 17, Canada announced that $7.8 million will be spent over the next four years to deliver training and skills development for Aboriginal people in the Vancouver construction industry.

Minister of Western Economic Diversification and Minister of State (Sport), Stephen Owen, made the announcement at the Squamish Nation Recreation Centre on behalf of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSCD).

"This partnership is a great example of several communities coming together to create a better future for themselves by developing training opportunities that will lead to sustainable employment in a sector of the economy that is blossoming in Vancouver," said Owen.

The partners for this project include the Tsawwassen First Nation, the First Nations Employment Society, the Squamish and Lil'Wat First Nation, the Metis Provincial Council of British Columbia, the Aboriginal Community Career and Employment Services Society, HRSDC and the British Columbia Construction Association.

Funding for the project could total $24 million, with $14 million coming from the industry, $7.8 million from the federal government and the rest from the Aboriginal communities.

The partnership began with the local Aboriginal communities in Vancouver coming together to seek ways to tap into the growing job market in construction, said Keith Henry, the executive director of the Metis Provincial Council of British Columbia. The partners will form a new group that will determine the needs of the industry and match up Aboriginal people with the necessary training.

"What we're going to do now is put a one stop sort of shop, if you will, as a clearing house to have everyone go through the same process to get into the jobs so we're co-ordinated," Henry explained.

"So there's no confusion out there right, cause what was happening previously, we'd have Metis have an employment and training agreement so we would go to the door, the First Nations might show up at the door and then the Urban Aboriginal organization might show up at the door. So rather than that, we all go together and we bring one organization to the door rather than three."

Manley McLaughlin, president and CEO of the BC Construction Association said that growth in construction is due in part to the 2010 Olympic Games.

"When you combine that with the efforts that have been undertaken within the Aboriginal community to provide training and skills advancement, as well as the search for employment opportunities, this program that the federal government has in place, the ASEP program, was a natural fit," said McLaughlin.

ASEP, or the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership, is a federal government initiative that promotes Aboriginal participation in major economic development opportunities that occur within their communities.

"A number of the Olympic facilities will be built on the traditional territory of a number of First Nations here in the lower mainland, particularly Squamish and Lil'Wat, and so the bigger projects, if you will, they're going to take place right on the traditional territory. So this is a mechanism where we can bring all those elements together, so that we can engage the Aboriginal community," added McLaughlin.

The construction industry desperately needs people in the full range of the construction industry, said McLaughlin, from electrical, mechanical, drywall, sheet metal trades to project management, superintendents and estimators. McLaughlin said that they are also planning a six-week introductory course to the industry, involving safety training and job site orientation.

"What we want to do is get them on to the job site, get them working with an employer and people can then determine ... how farther they want to move along and we're going to be there to ensure that there are no barriers to getting into formal trades training," said McLaughlin.

It is hoped the project will create upwards of 800 sustainable constructioncareers for Aboriginal people in the greater Vancouver area.

"In the past, there have been a number of programs that have been put in place that deal strictly with training and the piece of the puzzle that's been missing is the connection to employers ... We want to make sure the training that does take place is relevant, it's geared to the needs of industry and therefore addresses the needs of the individuals to ensure that they have a smooth and productive transition into the industry. We're looking for long-term sustainable jobs. We're not looking for just those short-term laborer kind of jobs where once a phase of a project is over these people are laid off. We want to make sure that people stay in the industry for the long term and the best way to do that is to get them involved in formal training," said McLaughlin.

Interested parties should approach their local Aboriginal employment centre. Their information will be passed on to the project's governing body.