One of the more enjoyable tasks I have at the OGCA
is to visit the many training facilities around the Province. It is truly a
very enjoyable experience to see these venues, the dedicated staff and the
large numbers of men and women looking to join our industry.
In the past, I toured the George Brown Campus and saw the amazing future being developed for our industry. I have toured a MERIT, Carpenter, and recently, CLAC training centres. One of the most impressive campuses was the Carpenter’s International Training Centre in Las Vegas.
The new CLAC centre in Cambridge was full of students in both the classrooms and in the practical hands-on area. I met and talked with an amazing gentleman who has developed a virtual reality training program for operators of heavy equipment. This was another example of the state of the art methods being employed to train our next generation of workers but also the new technologies that will likely be applied to our sites.
What is clearly evident is that our industry and our education system have adapted to meet the challenges of training the next generation, looking at new technologies and construction methods that will be needed as we continue to address the massive backlog in infrastructure rebuilding.
All of these organizations and their leadership are to be commended for their commitment to the training, education, research and most importantly, the health and safety of the next generation.
Thank you for allowing me to visit and share this great experience.