TRAINING UPDATE

EQUIPMENT TRAINING/RED SEAL TRADES

Equipment Training

You may have observed on the Ambercroft website that there are separate pages for Training Schedules and for Certification. Especially for equipment operators with experience, it is possible to certify individuals in one or two days. The requirements are knowledge of the relevant parts of the Occupational Health & Safety Act and Construction Regulations, and demonstrated ability to operate the equipment safely. Training requires much more time. We offer a two week Forklift/Zoom Boom/Bobcat program – discussed several times in Training Updates, for example in May, 2003 – which is really too short for many trainees. There is simply not enough "seat time" for an individual to acquire the necessary skills.

We try to accommodate the members and their work schedules, but with limited success. For example, this past Saturday we scheduled a half dozen members for Skid Steer Loader (Bobcat) certification and successfully certified three members. One of those who wanted to attend was unable to because of a concrete pour scheduled by his employer: he was needed at work.

We’ll be meeting with demolition contractors later this week to discuss training for excavator and backhoe operators – with equipment we have recently acquired, or expect to get in the next few months. We will be juggling the need for convenient scheduling with the need to make sure the training meets exacting standards. Operators are needed, but it’s difficult to free members even for two weeks, let alone longer training programs.

Red Seal

It was previously announced that Construction Craft Worker (Construction Craft Labourer in Alberta and Saskatchewan) has been approved as in Interprovincial, Red Seal, trade. This certificate will be completely portable. One point that needs to be made clear to all Labourers is that this certificate will only be obtained by passing a trade examination. Our members who have Ontario CCW certificates as a result of grandparenting will have to prepare for and write the exam if they want the Red Seal.

At present any apprentice, or any member who did not complete the grandparenting process before March 31, 2007 (we’re still getting inquiries) has to write the Ontario exam to get certification. There will be NO grandparenting for the Interprovincial certificate.

Comments? Email jmclaren@506tc.org