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Pining for more skilled workers, Azilda’s Carpenters Union Local 2486 is getting financial assistance to address the shortage.
The federal government doled out $25,913 recently to the organization to be used for its Reaching Remote Communities program, which will increase on-site training opportunities for workers in the trade industry, specifically with the purchase of a gooseneck flatbed and enclosed trailer, said a press release from Nickel Belt MP Marc Serré.
This project is funded through the Union Training and Innovation Program’s (UTIP) Stream 1 to help unions across Canada improve the quality of training through investments in equipment and materials.
“Thanks to continued support from the Government of Canada, Azilda Carpenter’s Union Local 2486 has been able to offer enhanced training opportunities with state-of-the-art equipment and reach more potential apprentices,” said Tom Cardinal, Local 2486 Union co-ordinator/Northern Ontario area manager.
This $25,913 builds upon the two amounts previously announced for Local 2486. In 2018 $278,242 was provided for a new forklift and dust collector, and in 2021 $93,000 for the purchase of a skid steer machine and concrete formwork forms.
“Our government’s support for this project with United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners (Azilda Carpenter’s Union Local 2486) will help provide residents in Nickel Belt - Greater Sudbury with the latest training equipment to better prepare them for the challenges they will find in the workplace,” said Serré in the news release. “Having opportunities here at home helps stem the outmigration of our youth and supports the economic development of our region and beyond.”
The most recent projections estimate about 700,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire between 2019 and 2028, creating an ever-growing need to recruit and train thousands more. That is why the Government of Canada is making targeted investments to remove barriers and get more Canadians the apprenticeship training they need to build good, well-paying careers in the skilled trades, said Serré.