Sarnia receives training and apprenticeship support

SARNIA, Ont. – Lambton College, in Sarnia, Ont., will be training more apprentices to meet the local demand for workers in the construction sector and equipment maintenance, thanks to an investment by the Ontario government.

Through the Apprenticeship Enhancement Fund, the college will upgrade
its Skilled Trades Training Centre and create multi-use shops to offer
training as a steamfitter/pipefitter, carpenter, electrician,
construction and maintenance worker, instrument control technician,
mechanical technician and industrial maintenance worker.

These upgrades are part of the $2-billion Skills to Jobs Action Plan
that gives Ontarians a competitive edge by training for tomorrow’s
high-skilled jobs.

"We’re pleased to invest in skills training at Lambton College.
Training and equipment must stay current to build the skilled workforce
we need to strengthen Ontario’s economy," said Minister of Training,
Colleges and Universities John Milloy.

"This investment is great news for the Sarnia Lambton community and
Lambton College. It means our Skill Trades Training Centre will expand
its capacity to develop skills locally to address the workforce demands
in this area," said Tony Hanlon, Lambton College’s president and CEO.
"The centre helps apprentices acquire the skills they need and enables
journeypersons to upgrade their existing skills, thereby ensuring our
community’s workforce remains highly competitive."

The province also announced that, over the next three years, two
training centres in Sarnia will upgrade their training centres through
the Ontario Skills Training Enhancement Program (OSTEP), part of the
Skills to Jobs Action Plan.

LIUNA Local 1089 will renovate and expand its training facility, and
purchase equipment to provide training and meet increasing demand for
construction craft workers. This expanded facility will allow for year
round indoor training independent of weather conditions.

Boilermakers Local 128 will construct a shop for training, including
purchasing welding booths. Funding will also be used to purchase
equipment to provide training for the boilermaker trade.

"OSTEP funding will help our industry partners invest in training and
infrastructure to build the next generation of skilled trades people in
Ontario. By investing in both the LIUNA and the Boilermakers training
centres here in Sarnia, we are training people in high demand trades
that will give this community a skills advantage," said Milloy.