b'IBEW Local 804s Pre-Apprenticeship ModelPRE-APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING AND RETENTION INNOVATIVE LEARNING PROGRAMelectricalandmechanicalcontractorHe earned numerous certificates, including that serves customers across southwest- oneinWorkplaceHazardousMaterials ern Ontario. Its such a broad tradeInformationSystem,andreceivedasetof that youll never know everything. Itools.Hescompletinghisplacementwith find it really fun to always be learningSutherland-Schultz,amulti-tradesunion something new, Irons says.contractor. A lot of the work is very tech-For the first time, Irons has benefitsnical,buttheresenoughlabourthatIm and a pension. Shes proud to be a roleconstantly moving. Im someone who doesnt enjoy sitting down for too long. model for her daughters, ages four and five. One of my daughters calls me an F thatIrons,apre-apprenticeshipthatextra-trician and says shes going to beDiversifying Workforcethateveryone an extra-trician just like her mom when sheIBEWLocal804recognizes ForLauragrows up, she says. needs to play an active role in diversifying programcombinesclassroominstruc- thetradesworkforceandmeetingfuture tion and on-site training with an electricalAttracting demands. Its program removes many of the contractor has meant the difference betweenUnderrepresented Groups barriersthatpreventpotentialapplicants working 9-to-5 and building a career.from beginning their career in the electrical She had been managing two health-care clin- BuildForce Canada, a national organizationtrade and begins with a rigorous screening ics for a number of years when she learnedworkswiththeconstructionindustryprocess, says Peter Caesar, Business Repre-abouttheInternationalBrotherhoodoftoprovideinformationandresourcestosentative (Training and Skills Development) ElectricalWorkers(IBEW)LocalUnionhelpmanageworkforceneeds,predictsaand Master Electrician.804s Pre-Apprentice Training and Retentionskilledtradesshortageof82,000work- IBEWLocal804receivedmorethan200 Innovative Learning Program.ersby2029andsaystheindustrymustapplicants for 16 spots in its last intake. It continuetobroadenitsrecruitmentofoffers three intakes a year, one of which is ThoughIronswasinitiallynervousaboutgroups traditionally underrepresented in thededicated to high school students. We look beginning a new chapter in her life at age 26,construction sector.at their transcripts, including whether they she has no regrets. The union hall makesIBEW Local 804s program does just that. Ithave the necessary math and English courses you feel like family. You receive a lot of train- targetsunderrepresentedgroups,includingunder their belts, he says. We look at their ing before you go out into the field. Yourewomen and Indigenous people. It also pro- attendance and if theyve been part of any runningpipeandpullingwires,installingvides a steppingstone to the electrical tradeteams. Thats helpful because construction is lights and switches, and learning about basicfor military veterans like Callum Hughes. Hea team environment. theory and codes.served in the navy right out of high school Upon completion of the in-school training Irons had long considered working in con- but eventually found the demands of sail- portionoftheprogram,pre-apprentices struction and though fears about working ining, including months-long deployments atare armed with basic skills so they are not a male-dominated trade held her back, shessea, difficult.aliabilitytotheircontractoremployer foundrespectandsupportamongherco- He went on to study mechanical engineeringduringtheir16-weekplacement.Theyre workers and her employer. Theyre just gladtechnologyroboticsautomationbutproductive right away, says Caesar. They to have another apprentice on the jobsite,didnt enjoy working in a factory environ- know its important to stay busy and be good, she says.ment and successfully applied to Local 804sreliable workers.Shes currently in the second year of her five- program. The hands-on training was great,IBEWLocal804usesmonthlyemployee year apprentice with ComTrade, a full-servicesays Hughes, 28.reviews to correct any problems that might www.ecao.org10'