July 28, 2006

Getting the message out: Local initiatives gaining momentum

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

TORONTO

Local construction associations have stepped up to the plate to promote careers in the industry by sponsoring field trips for high school students and even collaborating with the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP).

Both the Ottawa and Windsor construction associations are active on the construction site tour front, giving students and teachers alike first-hand knowledge of career opportunities.

The Sault Ste. Marie Construction Association works closely with OYAP co-ordinators to facilitate placements with local contractors. It is also partnering with Sault College of Applied Arts & Technology on an apprenticeship-related initiative.

“We think these local initiatives are extremely important,” said Clive Thurston, president of the Ontario General Contractors Association “But these programs are a best-kept secret. We’d like to know more about them.”

John DeVries, president and general manager of the Ottawa Construction Association (OCA), said his organization’s annual ConstrucTOUR has proven popular with high schools from across the city since its launch five years ago.

This year, some 100 students participated in the event, which kicked off with an orientation at OCA offices and included a tour of a quarry and concrete/asphalt production facility as well as a seven-storey office-building site.

“We want to fire up the students’ imaginations,” DeVries said. “There’s nothing like going to an actual quarry or construction site. You just can’t simulate that experience. It’s the real McCoy.”

OCA, which represents more than 800 companies active in the region’s $2 billion construction market, considers the field trips an effective use of available association resources.

“Even if the kids simply walk away with a finer appreciation of what goes on in construction, I think we’ve done something pretty positive,” DeVries said.

Jim Lyons, executive director of the Windsor Construction Association, is like-minded. His association last year helped launch an inaugural Trades on Tour event. Some 160 educators from local high schools participated.

“The feedback from the school boards was incredible,” Lyons said. “Their eyes were opened as to how many opportunities there are in the industry.”

Jim Lyons

The Sault Ste. Marie Construction Association has taken a different tack, “concentrating 100 per cent of its efforts on finding young people who are interested in construction, hooking them up with apprenticeship programs and finding them jobs,” says manager Rick Thomas.

He said the association has enjoyed “quite a lot of success in arranging placements for young apprentices. More than 20 association members have pitched in to provide on-the-job training.

The association also is partnering with Sault College in delivery of its new construction craft worker program which enables apprentices to work in entry-level positions in the industry. Placements began this spring.

“The idea is that they get exposed to the industry and then choose a trade that they like,” Thomas said. “They might have their placement, say, with a concrete pouring firm. While they are there, they might see what a plumber is doing and say, ‘I’d like to try that.’

“We see this as a way to introduce them to the industry as a whole.”

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