A new state-of-the-art, trades centre that offers training for commercial drivers and heavy-equipment operators has opened in Chilliwack.
B.C. Premier David Eby was in town for the official opening of Teamsters Local 213 & LiUNA Local 1611 Training & Resource Centre, a 13,000-square-foot facility in an industrial part of the city on Saturday, Oct. 4.
The centre is a joint venture between Teamsters Local 213 and Laborer’s International Union of North America Local 1611 (LiUNA 1611), and it marks the first time Teamsters has operated its own physical training site since the 1980s.
"The two unions coming together to train up the next generation is super inspiring," Eby said. The centre is "badly needed" in the province and will help Canada "shift to be less dependant on the U.S.," he added.
The unions are calling it a "world-class" training centre which will address B.C.’s ongoing shortage of highly skilled commercial truckers.
“We came to a point where we looked at the training that’s being offered in the industry and we really wanted to put a Teamsters’ stamp on the quality, proficiency and diversity of the courses offered,” said Konrad Sears, administrator with the centre.
The institution, located at at 7984 Venture Pl., sits on three acres of land and has three classrooms, driving-simulator machines, an outside parking and storage area, and both paved and gravel practice yards for drivers. The paved portion is intended for commercial drivers’ license training and the gravel section will be used for off-road vehicle training, like rock trucks and front-end loaders.
Students also learn things like vehicle inspections, air brakes, coupling and uncoupling trailers, chaining up tires, plus they will do aerial-lift vehicle training, excavate the ground to practise laying utility pipe, and concrete training.
They'll get experience driving vehicles like skid steers, booms, dump trucks, concrete trucks, flatbed trucks, semis, and large industrial forklifts called telehandlers.
The school will also offer courses for warehousing, and health and safety. All courses are available to the union members and driving courses will be available to the general public.
Between the two unions, there are 22,000 members. Some of them work on projects such as Highway 1 improvements, pipelines, the Site C Dam, LNG projects, and the SkyTrain.
"The skilled training that will be delivered here is going to help us deliver these projects in every corner of the province," Eby said.
Kairos Donguines, an 18-year-old who did an apprenticeship with LiUNA Local 1611, said his union trained and helped him find a job. He's now able to support his family, including sister who's at UBC and wants to become a family lawyer, and plans to help his cousins in the Philippines as well.
Tony Santavenere, Teamsters 213 principal officer said the centre is a "big step."
“We’re looking forward to providing students with, not only the best in training for commercial trucking and warehousing, but the best connections to good jobs in the transport and construction industries. If you want high-quality training that leads directly to high-quality employment, this is the school for you.”
They are planning on having a soft opening with some courses starting in about a week, and be fully operational by the middle of November. By the time the school reaches full operational capacity, it is expected to be the largest Teamster training school in Western Canada.
The not-for-profit, joint training school is funded by the employers who hire the union members.
