Matthew Ko, Communications Team (MK): What new developments have been happening in the training world? Any big-picture updates?
Adam Bridgman, Director of Training (AB): A big recent development for us is that an increasing number of our training centres have been receiving Training Delivery Agent (TDA) status. This designation allows us to deliver apprenticeships in-house, where previously it was mandated to be delivered by local community colleges. Before, we only had four locations in Ontario with this status. Now, all our locations in Ontario have it, several centres in the Western provinces do too and we’re working on expanding these numbers throughout the CRC.
Delivering apprenticeships in-house is revolutionizing training for our members. We are improving on the training typically delivered at colleges, by leveraging our deep industry ties. Our direct connection to jobsites allows us to regularly verify that what we are teaching is correct and matches the industry. We can reach out to contractors and say, “Hey, how are you doing this?” And “This is how we do it in class. Does that match?” Our relationships with employers also give us visibility to new industry trends and construction techniques, allowing us to prepare and train our members in these skills. For example, mass timber is a green building technique which is gaining a lot of traction. So, we’re actively training our membership in hoisting and rigging and other components of mass timber to ensure they are eligible and capable of working on these projects.
Essentially, the in-house training we deliver equips our members with the skills we know are directly relevant to jobsites. This helps our membership stay nimble, keeps them at work, and sets them up for long-term success.
MK: That’s great news for our membership, I would imagine this would have an effect on recruitment and retention as well?
AB: Absolutely, when we deliver training and up-skill members, we retain those members because the union training centers continue to support their career post-apprenticeship training. We’re different from colleges because of the strong connections we have with our apprentices, we know where and who they’re working with and the path they are following. As a former instructor, I still interact with former students at union meetings and events, we still touch base. That ongoing connection is key to their success and retention as we can help manage their training timelines, career development and job placements.
And further, as a member you have access to wraparound supports that remove barriers to training, helping people commit to advancing their careers or pivoting if needed.
MK: I know that the recent SDF Funding is relevant to these wraparound supports, could you explain that a bit?
AB: Yeah, sure, that’s a huge development. The SDF is Ontario’s Skills Development Fund. It was announced back in January that the Carpenters’ Union will be receiving funding for training centre upgrades and renovations, but also to support our programs and training initiatives.
It’s going to allow us to launch programs to recruit and train new members but will also allow us to provide wraparound supports for members who are retooling or upskilling, moving from one sector of our trade to another. We understand that people have lives – they’ve got to pay a mortgage, got to eat, provide for their family – and they can’t just go unemployed for weeks to do training. So, we’ve got wage supplementation and other wraparound supports to remove that barrier.
SDF funding is key because it lets us run these programs and offer support without touching member-contributed training funds. So, when we’re training a new apprentice with SDF Funding, longstanding members’ training contributions are not being used to train someone who hasn’t contributed yet.
Ultimately, it’s a really great opportunity for a member who wants to switch sectors but stay within the UBC. It could be someone going “Hey, I’ve done formwork for a couple of years, I want to try scaffolding, or finishing, or fill-in-the-blank”. With SDF funding, we will ensure members can actually afford to do that.
MK: It’s incredible to see that kind of investment from the government. Outside of these big picture updates, are there any other new developments our members should be aware of?
AB: Yes, one big development that I think will have an impact on the day-to-day for members is we’re getting ready to launch a digital platform for training, accessible on a tablet or smartphone.
One of the great advantages of this will be access to online textbooks and course material. I’ve had this happen to me – where I finish a course and the textbook gets thrown in the back of my truck, one thing leads to another, and that textbook is gone. With the digital platform, you can always have access to those textbooks on your phone. So that you could, for example, look up how to calculate a scaffold leg load or reference a material standard years after taking the class. The other advantage is that any curriculum updates that are done at the International Training Center (ITC) or by the CRC will show up on your phone as well. So, you’re always getting the latest information from that training course.
And another huge benefit of digital learning is that it supplements in-person teaching. Members can take a portion of their training online first, and then we follow it up with in-person sessions. If it’s skillset lessons, we follow it up in the shop, if it’s a mentorship class, we follow it up with a classroom review. At the end of the day, this system saves that member from having to fight traffic, or relocate, or struggle to take a day off work to come in for training. It just gives our members more flexibility.
MK: Amazing, that’s great to hear. Finally, I’d like to ask about what the future holds for training in the UBC and any closing thoughts?
AB: Well, we’re just going to keep getting bigger so that we can handle more capacity. Like last year, we sent over 1,500 individuals down to our International Training Center, and this year, every year, we want to grow on that. And we want to give every member the opportunity to grow.
We’ll keep expanding our repertoire, keep listening to feedback, and keep implementing new initiatives. What we’re able to do with the SDF funding, and our TDA approved training centres, is really going to evolve what we can offer our membership. The digital platform too; we know all of it will improve our members’ access to and experience with training. Continuing to provide the construction industry with the most productive and trained members.
