A new six-week construction training program is going to be offered in Owen Sound this summer for free.
Launching June 14, the Connect 2 Skills program, run by the Four County Labour Market Planning Board, is funded by the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development.
The program will work with residents across Bruce, Grey, Huron, and Perth to provide training in construction and work with employers to provide workforce ready applicants.
Executive Director of the Four County Labour Market Planning Board Gemma Mendez-Smith says while the program will be brought across the four counties, they are starting in Owen Sound due to the demand from employers to find entry-level workers.
“This program is designed to help employers fill that need, and we felt Owen Sound was a good spot to start because of the good number of construction employers that exist within Grey County,” says Mendez-Smith.
The program will be structured with three weeks of online learning and three weeks of in-person training with small cohorts of no more than 10 people.
Mendez-Smith notes during the online training segment of the program, participants will be speaking with a live instructor. The program will then shift into in-person classroom learning where Mendez-Smith notes they are aiming to give their participants a chance to get hands-on experience in the field. With the assistance of professionals, topics like safety measures and various tools to be covered and practised.
“When most of our clientele are just entering the work force, we want to make sure we are covering topics that help them be successful, so we would be talking about those essential skills, digital skills, communication, teamwork, and what all that means in a work setting,” says Mendez-Smith.
The program will accommodate one group of 10 at a time per six-week training course, as Mendez-Smith describes the learning segments can take up to a day.
“We have been hearing for years how employers are struggling to find a workforce locally and for certain, we know that it has been for several years, because we have had a low unemployment rate but now it’s exacerbated by the pandemic and we have employers with even greater needs,” says Mendez-Smith. “One of the key things about this program is that employers have a say, they have told us what they need, we have shared the curriculum with employers, and we have heard back from employers that the curriculum really meets the needs that they have.”
The only restrictions to apply are residents must be at least 18-years-old to attend the program.
As there are limited spots, there is an application process residents can fill out on the Connect 2 Skills website.
Construction employers who are also looking for new employees can reach out and to find someone to fill any open spots.
