Last month we posted a story about members of District Council 38 participating in a National Building Trades campaign to heighten awareness about the importance of mentoring apprentices. At last weeks Canadian Building Trades Legislative Conference, the finished product was unveiled to everyone in attendance.

The video was so well received that a couple of follow up features will be added to the campaign using DC 38 members once again. Click on the link and check out the video below. We believe that you will be genuinely impressed with the passion of the “Mentors” and the gratitude of the “Mentees” on display for all to see.

https://youtu.be/OgoBnkuxrEk

It was hard to tell who was having more fun, the kids or the DC 38 Reps and FTI Instructors!

Unquestionably though, a good time was had by all, as the FTI brought along some of the specialized equipment used in our apprenticeship programs, to the Delta Schools Trade Fair. Kids from all over the Delta school district, from grades seven to twelve were literally brought in by the bus load to attend this year’s event.

One of the things we here at the FTI as well as District Council 38 have long recognized, is that we need to heighten awareness about the value both of our organizations bring to the greater community. Thankfully interest in all of the trades seems to be on the rise and many educational organizations are starting to pay attention to the construction trades.

Many parents who visited our display booth expressed their gratitude for our reintroducing today’s youth to the value attached to an apprenticeship leading to a Red Seal certificate. Several openly acknowledged that the good wages and benefits that come with a career as a unionized tradesperson had them pushing their kids towards a career in construction.

As many of our older tradesmen start the move toward retirement, there is a looming demand for more young people to take up an apprenticeship. The timing for many of the Delta school kids couldn’t be better as there will continue to be a need for more skilled tradespeople and those good paying jobs  in the coming decades.

Join us tomorrow at the, Delta Trades Career Fair, at the Sungod Recreation Centre.

The FTI will be on hand to introduce High School students and their parents to our four apprenticeable Finishing Trades. We will have our Red Seal Instructors on hand, along with the District Council 38 Union Representatives to answer any questions students or their parents may have about an exciting and rewarding career in the Finishing Trades. From Painting and Decorating, to Glass and Metal Work, to Wall and Ceiling Instalation and Drywall Finishing, we have the experts on hand to put you on a prosperous career path in the Finishing Trades.

The fair runs from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm and we will also have our Health and Safety expert, Andrew Swan, available to address any safety concerns you may have about a career in the Finishing Trades.

Hope to see you there!

One of the new buzz words you may be hearing lately is “Mentorship”. Although mentorship may be something you are hearing for the first time, it’s been around since the very beginnings of apprenticeship.

Mentorship is the very essence of what we do when we train apprentices. Long before there were trade schools or formalized apprenticeship programs, Master Craftsmen, mentored young people under their care, who were looking to learn a trade. Although this may come as second nature to some Journeyworkers, passing on knowledge can sometimes be challenging.

This is why SkillPlan, in partnership with the IBEW’s Electrical Joint Training Committee, embarked on a new initiative to train Journeyworkers, or Mentors, how to teach and apprentices, or Mentees, how to learn. Through this collaborative process, a new program called “Mentorship Matters” has been developed in order to institute a proven structure that really does help both the Journeyworker and the apprentice work cooperatively toward making each other better rounded tradespeople.

The FTI was asked to participate in developing some of the instructional videos that make up the two 3.5 hour courses that have been developed for both the Mentor and the Mentee. If you click on the attached video, you will see our Painting Co-ordinator/Instructor, Chico Albino, demonstrating the six elements of Mentorship to a Mentee/ apprentice.

The FTI is evaluating the possibility of introducing this program to our Apprentices and Journeypersons as a possible add-on to the apprenticeship classes we deliver here.

When, Troy Halverson, owner of Done Right Painting and Sandblasting, asked the FTI to assist with a Training Fair for the Squamish Nation, we jumped into action and helped set up an impressive display booth on short notice. Although space was limited, we were able to provide Done Right with an array of eye catching displays and the right personnel to answer any painting or safety questions that members of the Squamish Nation might have.

Troy, and his Company, have been working with young people from the Squamish Nation, in an effort to introduce them to the fundamentals of the Painting Trade. The Training Fair was the perfect opportunity to introduce even more people to the value of a career as a Red Seal Painter. Safety is always at the forefront in all training we deliver at the FTI, which is why we felt that it was important that our Director of Safety, Andrew Swan, attended as well.

The FTI along with DC 38 is serious about exposing as many young people from as wide a community as possible to the Finishing Trades. Between “Lunch and Learns” with Government MLA’s, “Construction 101’s” with First nations groups and Trade fairs for high school students, we are starting to get our message out about the value of apprenticeship and getting certified in a trade.

(Left to Right) Randy Tilley/Doneright Painting, Chico Albino/FTI, Paddy Byrne/FTI, Justin Chapman/FTI, Andrew Swan/FTI

Members of Squamish Nation, introduce Training Fair attendees to a recognition ceremony.

FTI/Doneright booth at Squamish Nation Training Fair

Representatives of the FTI partner with Doneright Painting for Training fair at Chief Mathais Centre on Squamish Nation Territory.

On Thursday March 30, 2017, the latest expansion of the FTI was unveiled with plenty of pomp and ceremony. Members of the Provincial Government and the Official Opposition were on hand for this latest unveiling and by all accounts they were very impressed with the new building.

Along with the existing HMA classroom, offices and boardroom, the new building boasts over 14,000 square feet of training space. Included in this expansion is a dedicated area to be specifically used for mock-ups exclusive to hazardous materials abatement training.

Asbestos, and its safe removal, is finally getting the attention it deserves with recent public interest in local media reports about unscrupulous contractors exposing both workers, and the community at large, to deadly asbestos fibres through shoddy work practices. The Federal asbestos ban, the recent resolution at the UBCM with regard to contractor licensing and worker certification and the provincial government’s announcement of a cross ministry working group on this subject, have started the wheels in motion towards stricter controls around the abatement of this dangerous mineral.

With these recent developments at all levels of government, now more than ever, the HMA needs to be at the forefront of the industry with regard to the anticipated legislative changes. The HMA’s expertise and continued lobbying at all levels is starting to pay off and as a result, the HMA will be providing valuable input into this process going forward.

Without the HMA’s continued dedication to providing our Contractors with properly trained workers and our Contractors dedication to safety, the HMA wouldn’t be in the position they currently occupy as the preeminent experts with regard to commercial asbestos abatement.  The facility upgrades have also played a significant role in raising awareness with our local politicians about the HMA’s work. Being able to see first hand what the HMA can do to ensure the proper training of abatement workers was a real eye opener for everyone in attendance at the grand opening.

The HMA will continue to turn out the best trained workers and will work with all of our Contractors to ensure that no more British Colombians are exposed to the dangers of asbestos.

Amrik Virk, Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services, speaks at FTI Grand opening

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

PPE displays help students prepare for safe work practices.

Containment mock-up on display at HMA training space.

Some of the equipment used to train students in safely removing asbestos.

New HMA classroom sits atop new industrial training facility.

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.