ITA to train more LNG personnel in B.C.

The Industry Training Authority said that a new trades training program will be offered in B.C. starting October 2015 to fill the growing demand for labour in the liquefied natural gas sector.

This program directly aligns with B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint to increase the number of Aboriginal people in the skilled trades by 15,000 over the next 10 years, as well as ITA’s confirmed action in An Action Plan for LNG Trades Training to develop a specialized Construction Craft Worker program targeted at Aboriginal people that integrates essential skills and cross-cultural components and leads directly to employment, ITA said in a statement.

The Tl’azt’en Nation Pilot Program in the northern interior of BC (near Fort St. James) includes five key partnerships:

  • Tl’azt’en Nation — Project host;
  • College of New Caledonia, Fort St. James campus — Technical training, finances and project management;
  • Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association (PGNAETA) — Skill building;
  • Fort Outreach Employment Services — Employment supports;
  • Trans Canada Pipelines, Mt. Milligan Mine — Program support to students.

Portions of the training will be delivered directly in the Tl’azt’en Nation community in partnership with the College of New Caledonia and support from the PGNAETA.

The Gitxaala Enhanced Construction Craft Worker (E-CCW) Pilot Program in northwest B.C. (near Prince Rupert) includes four key partners:

  • Gitxaala Nation — Project host and finances;
  • Coast Educational Development and Research (Cedar) — Program management and reporting, recruiting, screening and assessment, job placement and post placement management;
  • Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) — Skill building and technical training with Workplace Certifications through the Coastal Training Centre;
  • Coast Industrial Construction (CIC), construction company owned by Gitxaala Nation — Employer and apprentice sponsor.

In a scenario with the construction of five LNG plants between 2015 and 2024, it is expected that 58,700 direct and indirect construction jobs and 23,800 permanent, direct and indirect operations jobs will be created. It is projected that Construction Craft Workers will be the largest single area of occupational demand for the construction phase of LNG development in the province.

 

Image: ITA