Delivering A Strong Workforce

Delivering a strong workforce

The continued success of the Construct Your future program

By Deb Draper

In response to member feedback regarding the skilled labour shortage on Vancouver Island, the Vancouver Island Construction Association (VICA) launched a free training program geared toward preparing young adults ages 17 to 29 for a career in the construction industry. Two years later, under the direction of program coordinator, Sharlot Beatty, the program was redesigned and renamed Construct Your Future (CYF) with the continued mandate to connect willing workers with employers in the construction industry.

“Most of our people who finish the program will start as material handlers and labourers with the explicit expectation that they are working toward an apprenticeship after three to six months,” says Beatty. “We are very strong in our messaging that this program helps launch a career in construction not just a job in trades.”

Construct Your Future focuses on providing young adults with an orientation to the construction industry along with safety certification. This year, the CYF team pivoted their entire delivery model to address COVID-19 and now delivers instruction through online seminars and independent work done in an online platform.

Participants learn industry vocabulary, trades math, personal development, and are taken on tours of job sites. The program is kept small – about 10 students per session four times a year – which means it can be responsive and flexible, and it can adjust according to employer feedback. An example of this feedback came when new hires who were not used to the physical demands of construction work, were struggling to make it through the day (let alone an entire week). Upon learning this, VICA supplied each participant with fitness equipment to conduct at-home workouts, and it now conducts online fitness sessions each morning.

Certificate training takes up another portion of the eight-week program with approximately half of the instruction completed online, while others are a blended format with online theory and in-person practical application.

Work experience is an important component of the program and participants attend at three different companies to complete a two-day work experience within a variety of trades. “We have great support and uptake from our members in the construction industry; they are always very willing and happy to host work experience,” says Beatty. “When our students return from these work sessions, they post photos and videos on our Facebook page about what they did, what they learned, and what the work entailed.”

Participants also receive one-on-one training on valuable practical skills such as material handling, proper lifting techniques, and fastening ratchet straps from DurWest Construction Management. They also participate in speed interviewing events, completing approximately 12 hours of interview practice plus further time spent perfecting their cover letters and resumes.

Beyond training and experience, the program supplies everything required to pursue a career in construction including work boots, pants, and PPE. Participants are also paid a training wage while in the program and on work experience, and provided with financial support for groceries, internet, and travel.

“One hundred percent of those who finish our program become employed in construction, generally finishing the eight-week program on Friday to start their new jobs on Monday,” says Beatty. “There is a lot of work for our grads because they’re ready to work and know what they want to do.”

To date, the VICA program has helped more than 300 young adults embark upon a career in the construction industry. And with its recently renewed two-year contract with the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training, who funds the program, CYF is ready to run another eight cohorts beginning in February.

With 10 years of experience developing and administering industry training programs, Beatty says CYF stands out as the most successful. “The fact that it’s focused on one industry makes it a lot easier to give people what they want and need,” she says. “We are also fortunate to have the support of VICA members who provide good jobs and great work environments.”

For more information about the Construct Your Future program, contact Sharlot Beatty at (250) 800-1162 | sharlot@vicabc.ca or visit vicabc.ca.