Creation of a training centre for Aboriginals in the construction trades
Commitment made. Commitment kept.
13 novembre 2009
Mashteuiatsh, Friday, November 13, 2009 — “During the first First Nations Socioeconomic Forum, held here in Mashteuiatsh in October 2006, the Commission de la construction du Québec (CCQ) and its employer and union partners made a commitment: to study the feasibility of creating, with the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport, a training centre for Aboriginals in the construction trades that would use existing school infrastructure in Québec’s training centres. This proposal was supported by First Nations communities. Three years later, I am proud to be with you to say, loud and clear: Mission accomplished and commitment kept.”
These were the words spoken this morning by the president and CEO of the Commission de la construction du Québec, Mr. André Ménard, during the press conference announcing the opening of the Vocational Training Centre for Aboriginals in the Construction Trades and Related Trades, the first of its type in Québec.
The CCQ and the construction industry: Early partners in the project
The CCQ and its employer and union partners were closely associated with formulation of the project. They also used this opportunity to consolidate business ties with Aboriginal communities.
“The construction industry will invest $5.6 million in coming years,” Mr. Ménard noted. “This investment will take the form of more than 200 jobs guaranteed by employers who will hire graduates of the training centre and by coordination of the centre with the two construction industry training funds.”
As they are in the other training centres dispensing programs for trades and occupations in this sector, construction industry representatives are members of the management committee of the Vocational Training Centre for Aboriginals in the Construction Trades and Related Trades. One of the special characteristics of this centre is that the management committee will be tripartite: it will include, of course, representatives from the Commission scolaire de Montréal, but also from the Consortium for the Training of Aboriginals in Construction in Québec.
Putting skills on construction sites through labour-force training
By emphasizing vocational training for the construction industry’s labour force, the CCQ, its employer and union partners, and the Ministère de l'Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport have created a unique partnership model for ensuring that workers on Québec’s construction sites have the skills they need. This centre supports this effort by adding Aboriginals to the partnership.
“The creation of a vocational training centre for Aboriginals represents a crucial integration tool for all communities,” concluded Mr. Ménard. “It is a tool that mitigates in favour of their future and the development of their skills so that they can join the construction industry. This project looks to the future: for Aboriginals, for the construction industry, and for the economic development of Québec.”
The construction industry in brief
With investments totalling some $41 billion in 2008, almost 14% of Québec’s GDP, and more than 300,000 direct and indirect jobs each month, the construction industry is an essential economic engine.
Since 2002, between 12,000 and 15,000 new workers have joined the construction industry annually. Out of this number, there were 5,500 new graduates in 2008. With activity remaining high in Québec in the coming years, the construction industry will need about 14,000 new workers each year.
You can download speeches pronounced by Mr. André Ménard during the press conference and the ceremony of inauguration (in French only)