Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Construction 101

CLAC Training’s Bootcamp program is giving people a chance at a career in construction. Not only is the program helping individuals, it’s an innovative way of addressing the skilled trades shortage in Canada

Guide Magazine

By Lisa Helder

A chef, a personal support worker, and a temp worker—what do they all have in common? They all took a leap of faith, left their current jobs, and embarked on careers in the skilled trades—with the help of CLAC’s construction Bootcamp training program.

In March 2022, CLAC Training launched Bootcamp in Ontario—a program that provides several weeks of in-class and hands-on training, as well as a paid eight-week job placement, which almost always turns into full-time employment.

Through it, CLAC is looking to make a difference in the lives of individuals and in Canadian society as a whole.

“The idea of Bootcamp has been talked about with CLAC-signatory employers for years,” says Sarah Harris, CLAC Training’s program coordinator in Ontario. “There is a huge need to provide entry-level construction workers with basic training—such as health and safety training and site-awareness training—before they come onto a job site. This year, we had the opportunity to launch the program with the help of some government funding.”

The Program
How does it work? Interested participants typically contact the CLAC Training Team via the website, clac.ca/bootcamp. After a simple aptitude assessment with CLAC’s community partner, Lutherwood employment services, participants spend four days taking basic health and safety training online before receiving two weeks of in-person, hands-on training. There they learn about

• construction health and safety foundations,

• how to safely use hand tools and power tools,

• job-site communication skills and conflict management,

• construction-oriented math skills,

• how to recognize and mitigate workplace hazards,

• and more.

They earn certification in a variety of courses, including WHMIS, Mobile Elevated Work Platform, Site Awareness, Worker Health and Safety in 4 Steps, Confined Space Awareness, and Working at Heights.

“Safety is the most important aspect of the program,” says Sarah. “We want them to be safe on site, and we want them to be able to go home to their families at the end of the day. We want them to enjoy what they’re doing, to find their niche or their trade. We want them to love the job that they’re doing.”

After the in-class portion, participants start their eight-week paid job placements, which are provided by both CLAC and non-CLAC companies. The students also receive up to 26 weeks of wraparound, career-based support throughout training and work placement from CLAC staff, as well as wellness and community partners. This includes needs-based financial assistance toward childcare, accommodation, and transportation.

The Impact
For the individuals who take the training, the program provides an opportunity for a new, rewarding, and well-paying career. For the employers who provide the placements, they gain access to employees who already have basic site and safety training and have proven that they are willing to show up and work.

Both the employers and the graduates have access to support from the CLAC Training Team to assist with the transition into the trades workforce. And with a massive shortage of skilled tradespeople hindering the development of Canadian infrastructure, programs like this can help ensure that the country grows economically.

“Only by investing in the training will we continue as a viable society,” says Russell Alder, one of the Bootcamp instructors.

Russell is passionate about introducing more people to the trades. He has several trade tickets of his own, ran his own mould-making and consulting company, taught the trades at Conestoga College, and helped to develop training standards for the Ontario College of Trades (now Skilled Trades Ontario).

“How are we recruiting and training the next generation of skilled tradespeople?” asks Russell. “Someone has to build the houses, plumb and wire them, and build roads, bridges, and infrastructure.”

For Russell, programs like Bootcamp are one part of a bigger push that’s needed to address the shortfall of skilled tradespeople in Canada.

“For wholesale change to happen, attitudes toward the trades need to change on a societal level,” he says. “The government should better explain the advantages of an apprenticeship as it’s not just students who don’t know about opportunities in the trades, but their parents who don’t even consider it. High school guidance counsellors require training to better understand the 144 trade apprenticeships available. We need to raise awareness regarding the viability of a career in skilled trades to the masses. Programs like Bootcamp are a great way to introduce people to the trades.”

For both Russell and Sarah, while the big picture of increasing the number of tradespeople is important, seeing the impact on individual lives really motivates them to work in this program each day.

“When they first walk in and they see the table saw, skill saw, and the different equipment, there’s almost fear in their eyes, and they’re very unsure,” says Russell. “But by the end of the course, they’re confident and competent to walk up to the machine and use it. You can see it in their eyes when they get it. It’s that moment that is so rewarding.”

Sarah agrees. “The most rewarding part of this program is watching the students as they come into this with no experience, seeing them move into a construction career, connecting them with the employers, and changing their life—where they’re doing something that makes them happy. I love being a part of their journey.”

The Graduates
Bootcamp students come from all walks of life. Some only graduated high school in the past couple of years and have worked various short term jobs. Others are older, coming out of careers they held for several to many years.

For each of them, Bootcamp provided an opportunity to enter the trades, which can be difficult if you don’t have a personal connection to someone in the industry and have zero experience.

Here are stories of three recent Bootcamp graduates: Alejandro Amaya Cordero, Shiloh Worthy, and Kim MacLary.

ALEJANDRO
Former occupation — Chef
Placement — Labourer, ROMAG Contracting Ltd.

“I’m originally from Colombia, and I came to Canada about five years ago,” say Alejandro, a Local 52 member. “I was working in hospitality after I left high school, but I’ve always had an interest in the trades. I decided to leave the hospitality industry, and I saw an ad for Bootcamp. I thought it would be a great opportunity.”

After completing the in-class portion, Alejandro did his job placement with ROMAG, a CLAC-signatory general contractor (GC), where he’s currently working on the G.E. Booth Waste Water Treatment Plant upgrades in Mississauga, Ontario.

“When I started the placement, one of the most important things I learned was navigating the site and being aware of my surroundings,” says Alejandro. “In Bootcamp, it’s one of the things they talked about, and now that I’m here, that’s been a major thing.

“I work with a small team—mostly just the lead hand and foreman and a couple other guys. ROMAG is the GC and has labourers and carpenters working with the other contractors to set them up for success. If the concrete guys need a hand, we’re there. If the excavation guys need a hand, we go there.

“Sometimes, I struggle figuring out what I should be doing—if there’s a critical task that I don’t know how to be a part of—and I end up standing back and watching. I brought it up to my lead hand and he said, honestly, sometimes the best you can do is take a step back and watch.

“One of the biggest challenges I’ve found is using the imperial system. In Colombia, it’s all metric, so I often have to do the math quickly in my head to figure out the measurements.”

Working with so many different trades on such a large site has given Alejandro the opportunity to watch and participate in many different tasks.

“I eventually want to get an apprenticeship for a more specific trade—either carpentry or HVAC,” he says. “But I want to take it slow. This is a great place to start and a great place to learn and work.”

SHILOH
Former occupation — Food services, temp work
Placement — Labourer, VanDel Construction Limited

Shiloh’s work history, like many young people’s, began in food services. But he soon realized that he wanted more career options, and CLAC’s Bootcamp program gave him that opportunity.

“I started working at Kelsey’s when I was 16 as a dishwasher,” he says. “I moved to being a line cook, and then I quit when high school got too busy.”

After a couple months, Shiloh started working at Sobey’s. He worked there for over a year, but realized he wanted to get into the trades.

“I had a few buddies who were a year older than me and were all starting to work in the trades,” he says. “I got a job through a temp agency at Activa Homes.

“After a few months, I was looking to find a different company, and I ended up talking to Sarah Harris, because she knows my mom. It was perfect timing. I did the Bootcamp in April and then my placement at VanDel.”

When he first started his placement, the only job available was in London, and he lives in Kitchener, over 100 kilometres away. He had to be up at 4 a.m. to leave his house by 5 and be at the Kitchener-area head office by 5:25 for the drive to London.

“We’d work 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and then drive back,” says Shiloh. “It was a really long day, but it was good. Now, I’m in Kitchener working on an affordable housing project, and I’m learning a lot more.

“The supervisor has me using a lot of tools and doing more than just general labourer activities. He’s got me putting up door frames with one of the other carpenters, cutting holes for the plumbers, stuff like that. I get to learn a lot, and that makes me want to go to work every day.

“I think it’s really important to know what it’s like to work for a general contractor. Working with carpenters, getting to know the basics of the whole building. You do a little bit of everything, so I think that’s really interesting to get that basic knowledge when you’re going into the trades.

“When I was first getting into the trades, I was interested in electrical, but once I started working, I realized that there are so many more trades out there. I’ve been talking to guys on site, and now I’m leaning toward HVAC.”

KIM
Former occupation — Personal support worker (PSW)
Placement — Labourer, Walker Aggregates Inc.

“I’ve lived in St. Catharines, Ontario, all my life,” says Kim. “I did the PSW program during COVID and worked as a PSW for about a year and a half, but I burned out very quickly. I wouldn’t go back to that work. I still have a couple of residents that I visit, but it’s a lot nicer being able to actually sit down and be with them now.”

Kim heard about the Bootcamp program while she was still a PSW and decided to give it a try.

“I’ve always been interested in the trades,” she says. “I just didn’t really have any opening or know anybody to help me get into them, so this opportunity was perfect.”

After completing the in-class portion, Kim did her placement at Walker Aggregates, which operates a quarry and asphalt plant near St. Catharines. When she initially entered the Bootcamp program, the trade she was most interested in was plumbing. But since her placement at Walker, she became interested in the millwright trade.

“We do all our own repairs, with a few exceptions,” she says. “I really like taking things apart and putting them back together.

“I did mostly labour at Walker—like shoveling rocks and helping with repairs when things break down. But I also had the chance to fill in for people when they were on vacation.

“I learned how to operate the rock trucks, hauling rocks from the pit to the crusher. I was terrified when I first got in, and I didn’t drive it at first. My supervisor and I spent several hours driving around, and then he told me to give it a try. It was actually a lot easier to drive than you would think.

“I was only one of two women they hired in the past 30 years, and the other woman only lasted for a short period of time. So, they were very careful and timid around me at first.

“But after my first month, we had a work party, and I got to hang out and socialize and get to know everyone. I hung out with several of them on a regular basis, and became friends with one of the guy’s girlfriends. I got to work with a really good crew of people.”

Kim was by far the smallest person on site, and while that made some jobs challenging, it allowed her to do tasks that others found difficult.

“Rocks get heavy when you’re continuously shoveling them, and wheelbarrows are hard, especially the single wheel ones, she says. “So, my supervisor ended up buying me a two-wheeled one.

But I could also squeeze into small places. We had screens in one machine that needed to be changed, and you needed to go in through a two-and-a-half-foot space to get at them. Most of the guys hated doing it, but it didn’t bother me.

“I’ve very much got that tomboy side of me that I integrated into my work. I sat in the mud to shovel things out from under the conveyor, and if it was easier to get leverage on the ground, I’d do that—I didn’t care if I got dirty. It’s dirt—it comes off.”

With a great set of coworkers, and plenty of opportunity to learn new tasks, Kim enjoyed her work at Walker. But she has since moved on and is now the head of the parts department at Pioneer Flower Farms in St. Catharines.

“I was glad for the chance to get some experience,” she says. “If you have zero experience, no one is going to give you a chance.” And that’s one of the primary reasons for CLAC starting the Bootcamp program. It gives people a chance at a good-paying career in the construction trades who otherwise might not have had the opportunity.

For more information on Bootcamp, visit yourtraining.ca/bootcamp.

Alejandro Amaya Cordero

Shiloh Worthy

Kim MacLary

Construction 101

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