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Surrey, BC.  A 14,000 square foot addition to the Finishing Trades Institute of BC (FTI) was opened today to train BC workers in industrial painting, an essential skill in the construction of such projects as LNG export terminals, energy pipelines, and waste treatment plants.

The $4 million expansion was funded entirely by District Council 38 of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades which represents more than 2,000 men and women working through BC as painters, glaziers, wall and ceiling installers, lathers and drywall finishers, hazardous materials abatement specialists, and water blasters.  The FTI now totals 40,000 square feet of customized shops and classroom space.

“We did not ask for taxpayer funding to make this investment, just as we did in establishing the FTI in 1992,” says Dave Holmes, Business Manager.  “We see it as a prudent, long-term investment in the future of construction in BC and in the future of our members and the union.  With this expansion the FTI can now accommodate 350 union and non-union students each year in four construction and finishing trades.  There is nothing like it in western Canada.”

“We and our contractors see a strong demand for skilled and experienced finishing tradespeople in BC and it is up to us to train workers to fill these jobs,” says Holmes.

“This expansion will house some of the latest industrial technology, providing BC tradespeople with relevant, modern training,” says Amrik Virk, Minister of Technology, Innovation, and Citizen’s Services.  “Our province needs skilled tradespeople today and into the future;  I’d like to congratulate IUPAT District Council 38 and the Finishing Trades Institute of BC on this new addition, which will increase capacity for training.”

FTI instructors and courses provide Red Seal apprenticeship training in painting and decorating, glazing (fabrication and installation of windows and specialty glass), wall and ceiling construction, and drywall finishing.  The FTI also provides BC’s most advanced training in the safe removal and handling of asbestos and other hazardous materials in the commercial and residential sectors.

DC38 traces its roots to 1899 when six painters formed a BC local.

Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services, Amrik Virk, addresses guests at FTI Grand Opening

MLA for Shuswap, Greg Kyllo, congratulates DC 38 on new Industrial Facility

And what is a Grand Opening without a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony?

Business Manager David Holmes presents MLA Greg Kyllo and Minister Amrik Virk with DC 38 Union Jackets

A View from Above the new FTI Industrial Facility

Check out our Video of Painting Instructor Chico Albino testing out our new Blast Tank.

Everything Looks like it will be ready for our Grand Opening on March 30th. Along with our new Blast Tank, we will be displaying our new Spray Booth and Plural Component Paint System as well as our Hazardous Materials Abatement training facility.

Thank you for presenting at the BC Building Trades Construction 101 seminar on March 9^th.

We’ve received a lot of feedback from the participants who said they really valued meeting and engaging with unions about training.

I sincerely appreciate the time and effort affiliates put into making the day a success.

We are following up on Chief White’s suggestion that we hold another Construction 101 in an area where we are likely to see an LNG Project and thus attract more First Nations’ participation. (Likely location Prince Rupert).

At the March 16^th Apprenticeship and Training Coordinators Committee, we discussed circulating a sample PowerPoint template. We will circulate one to the Apprenticeship Coordinators list shortly.

Several participants requested copies of the presentations. We would be happy to share them with you. As the size is too large for email, please reply to this letter with your mailing address and we will send you a memory key.

Once again, thank you for presenting at Construction 101.

Sincerely,

TOM SIGURDSON

Executive Director

BC Building Trades

On February 16, representatives from DC 38, the FTI and the HMA conducted a “Lunch-and-Learn” with members of the Liberal caucus in Victoria.This was the first occasion where any of the entities connected to District Council 38 had conducted this type of information session with the governing Liberals and by all accounts our presentation was well received.

We wanted to add a bit of a “Wow Factor” to our presentation, so we took along some of the high end equipment actually used in our training at our facility. Many of the MLA’s commented on the fact that this was a little different than any other such presentation they had attended previously. We heard several comments about how impressed the MLA’s were by by complexity and the quality of the equipment we train on. Many were also surprised to hear that since 2005, we have committed almost $5 million dollars in both equipment and facility upgrades provided by the FTI and the HMA.

Greg Kyllo, MLA for (Sushwap) and the Parliamentary Secretary for BC Jobs Plan, thanked us on behalf of the government for helping to enlighten he and his fellow MLA’s about the work we do. Mr. Kyllo also reiterated his governments commitment to apprenticeship and skills training and went on to recognize the important role our combined organizations play in providing that training.

We also took this opportunity to invite the government to the grand opening of our new expansion of our Industrial Painting facility. We will be holding an event on March 30th this year where we will unveil what is probably the finest spray and blast facility in Canada and the Pacific North West.

We hope to conduct future sessions such as this in order to make our politicians more aware about the value we provide to our communities, members, contractors and the clients of construction.

This week, the member of Parliament for Cloverdale-Langley City, John Aldag, took a tour of the FTI.

Accompanied by the Executive Director of the BC Building Trades, Tom Sigurdson, DC 38 Business Manager, David Holmes, Done Right Painting Owner, Troy Halverson and FTI Director of Training, Paddy Byrne, Mr. Aldag spent nearly two hours touring the facility. The Federal Liberal Government, since being elected in 2015, has shown consistent support for apprenticeship training in Canada and has specifically praised the work done in this area by Union sponsored training facilities.

This was a great opportunity for Mr. Aldag to see first hand the great work we do in preparing our apprentices to be the Red Seal Journeypersons of tomorrow. It was very important that he was able to meet with the students, instructors and one of our most successful Painting Contractors, to hear firsthand about the quality of the instruction and equipment we employ at our facility.

We look forward to Mr. Aldag sharing his observations with his fellow MP’s in Ottawa and to welcoming additional MP’s at our facility in the near future. We are proud of the work we do here and wish to enlighten all Canadians about the value of Apprenticeship when delivered by training schools aligned with the BC Building Trades and more specifically, The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades DC 38.

(From right to left) Liberal MP John Aldag, DC 38 BM/ST Dave Holmes and Tom Sigurdson E.D. of the BC Building Trades listen as FTI Glazing Instructor Mark Longmore demonstrates some of the equipment used in the Glazier Apprenticeship program.

As 2016 draws to a close, we wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy 2017.

We look forward to delivering more of the very best Red Seal apprenticeship instruction, Journeyperson upgrading and safety training to all of the Crafts involved in the Finishing Trades Industry again in the New Year.

Thank you all for your continuing support!

The FTI BC is pleased to announce the signing of a 3 year sponsorship arrangement with Sherwin-Williams Paints. British Columbia District Manager, Jared Airey, approached the FTI earlier this year with an offer to supply our painting apprentices with an array of products and tools on behalf of the Sherwin-Williams Paint Store Group. Thanks to this generous offer, our students get to work with some of the finest materials in the industry while helping to defray some of the costs the FTI incurs while delivering the Red Seal painting apprenticeship program.

Additionally, Mr. Airey has also offered to work with us when it comes to supplying our, soon to be opened, Industrial Painting training facility. When it comes to the latest in high tech industrial coating materials, Sherwin-Williams is ready to supply a wide spectrum of products in order to meet the highest standards in the Industry.

We here at the FTI BC look forward to a long, mutually beneficial partnership with  Sherwin-Williams, as we strive to train the finest Red Seal painting tradespeople in the industry.

Representatives from Sherwin-Williams meet with training staff from the FTI to sign a new three sponsorship agreement.

Painting Instructor,Chico Albino, diccusses training plans with representatives from Sherwin-Williams in the main classroom of the new FTI Industrial Training facility.

Industrial Paint Rep, Justin Chapman, shows our new blast booth to representatives from Sherwin-Williams.

As we near the end of the year progress continues at our new industrial spray and blast training facility.

All that is left for the completion of the Blast Tank is the connection of the duct work, final touches on the electrical connections and the sealing of the individual panel joints. Additionally, all of the components for the Spray Booth arrived on site last week and technicians will start assembly this week.

Once we have our final permits approved, we can begin the process of commissioning the equipment. Our hope is to begin instruction at our expansion early in the new year.

Representatives from Manus Abrasive Systems stopped by the FTI This week to take pictures of the one of a kind Blast Tank that they fabricated and installed for us. In the foreground you will also see crates containing components for the new Spray Booth.

The FTI is in the process of installing new, state of the art equipment in our recently expanded Industrial Painting training facility.

The first piece of equipment to be installed is a one of a kind Blast Tank unlike any other blast booth in North America.

Check out the photos that show the equipment being installed in new building. The FTI would like to thank Media Maintenance for supplying us with their crane truck and their operator Aaron Coloumbe who is a member of DC 38.

Check out the progression of the expansion of our new Industrial Painting and Blasting facility in the pictures below.