November 10, 2007
Employment Readiness in Construction Trades was an eight-week training course offered free of charge to 11 residents of Frontenac County in 2005. The Frontenac Community Futures Development Corporation and St. Lawrence College spearheaded the initiative. It provided graduates with important construction skills they could use to gain employment in their community, which needs skilled workers.
”We wanted to raise awareness of the need for professional trades in Frontenac and also give people employable skills,” says Bob MacCallum, who led the initiative as job developer for the Job Connect Program at St. Lawrence College.
The students were the most obvious benefactors of the program, which left them ready to start a three-year provincial apprenticeship in carpentry. Throughout the eight-week course the students gained experience working with a variety of tools and learned the latest building techniques.
The program is considered such a success in part because its graduates have become community achievers with seven having taken jobs in construction and two being accepted into apprenticeship programs. This is no small feat in an area that is characterized by high levels of unemployment.
J & J Construction of Arden has hired on two of the program’s graduates as carpentry assistants. With the base level knowledge that they gained in the program, they have been able to enter the industry and continue to develop their skills. They have been well received and of great assistance with construction jobs in the area.
”The boys are hard working and eager. We really hope they stay with us for a while,” says Julie Connor, Co-owner of J & J Construction.
Connor, who is also a resident of the area, recognizes the need for this type of program. She feels that training and motivating young people to enter the work force will help the community to prosper and provide bright futures for the residents.
The students were also able to assist the program itself with their newly acquired skills by building sheds. The sheds were then sold to a local area business with proceeds going towards new tools for the program. The tools were then distributed to the students upon graduation.
Given the success of the program and the fact that the County of Frontenac is in dire need of skilled workers, it is hoped that other similar programs will be established in the future. These programs will help to provide long-term benefits in the form of skills, jobs, and economic development to the area.
In addition to the Frontenac CFDC and St. Lawrence College, the initiative received support from The Kingston Construction Association and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. Sharbot Lake District High School and the Frontenac Telephone Company also provided facilities. Funding for the project was provided by the Eastern Ontario Development Fund.