The Industry Training Authority (ITA) announced Friday that 17 former sawmill employees from Burns Lake had graduated from a new program at the College of New Caledonia.
The Pre-Apprenticeship and Essential Skills Program (PATES), offered at the college’s Lakes District campus, was established last year after the January 2012 explosion of the Babine Forest Products Sawmill in Burns Lake. The explosion killed two workers, injured 19 and left an estimated 250 people unemployed. The mill was Burns Lake’s largest employer. It is expected to reopen next year.
The 19-week program was funded by B.C.’s Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and developed by Babine mill owners Hampton Lumber Canada, the United Steel Workers Union and former mill employees. The ITA oversees the program.
Program curriculum included essential skills training, which included reading and math classes, as well as computer skills workshops. Practical shop work in three trades – construction, millwright and heavy-duty mechanics – was also offered. The students graduated with industry certification in occupational first aid level 3, transportation endorsement, transportation of dangerous good, construction safety training system, supervisor safety management, fall protection, and forklift operator.
“It was hard for us after the explosion. Babine was our livelihood; most of us in the PATES program had worked there for decades and had kid who worked there too. It was all we do,” said participant Frankie Erickson.
“I started at the sawmill in ’83 – in those days you didn’t need a ticket to get a job. Nowadays to get a good job you need certain certificates; this program helped us old-timers get some of these qualifications. We can now go out and find new jobs and perhaps to something different.”
In a written statement, Shirley Bond, Minister of Labour and Minister of Tourism and Skills Training, said: “Our government made a commitment to the people of Burns Lake that we would support them, and this skills training program is definitely a success story. The program was designed to assist workers that were impacted by the tragedy to get back into the workforce. Congratulations to all the graduates of this innovative program, and thank you to the College of New Caledonia and all the partner organizations who created and delivered the program.”
