Peguis students first to use Assiniboine’s “trades in a box” trailers

Thirty students in Peguis First Nation are the first in the province to use one of three “trades in a box” trailers unveiled by Assiniboine Community College this past fall.

The students are studying to earn an Applied Building Construction certificate. The trailer, located in their community for the length of their program, has all the tools they need to learn by doing.

“This program is giving me more understanding of carpentry tools, materials and jobsite safety. I get the opportunity to work with and learn from others,” said student Megan Stevenson.

The 30 students are divided into two groups of 15 each. The first group entered the program directly in September and will graduate in March 2019.

The second group is taking high school courses now to prepare them to begin the carpentry courses in March 2019. Their high school courses are geared towards the certificate. For instance, their math course will emphasize the math skills they need to develop for carpentry. They will graduate in September 2019 with both the Applied Building Construction certificate and a Mature Student High School diploma.

Organizations that have partnered with Assiniboine to offer the program include Peguis First Nation, Peguis Development Corp. and the Post-Secondary Partnership Program of Indigenous Services Canada.

“Capacity building is a priority for Peguis First Nation. It is an essential component when developing new projects and opportunities. It is important to address skill shortages and build upon skill development to improve the social well-being of our community members,” said Peguis First Nation Chief Glenn Hudson on behalf of the band council.

“Currently, Peguis First Nation has many economic developments underway and forthcoming, both locally and province-wide. The delivery of the Applied Building Construction Program for our community is a pro-active approach to build a high-demand, skilled workforce for the future. Many opportunities await the successful graduates for a bright future and potential advancement into the apprenticeship stream,” Chief Hudson said.

“We are witness to much greater success rates in community-based training. Our community strongly supports all efforts to help community members move forward into careers and the workforce. A key to successful delivery of training is partnerships. We look forward to the continued work ahead on this important educational opportunity and the promotion of apprenticeship trades for our Indigenous community and region!” he said.

Graduating students will be qualified for employment in all aspects of carpentry involved in building construction.

The trailer is one of three unveiled by the college in September. The other two contain tools for the electrical and piping trades. They will be used in other locations in the coming months.

The programs contain a balance of theory and hands-on training and go through the Apprenticeship Manitoba accreditation process each time they are delivered for Level 1 in-school pre-employment training.

The trailers were made possible through $150,000 in funding from Western Economic Diversification (WD), the federal government’s regional economic development agency. This funding covered 50 per cent of the total cost for the project. The remaining 50 per cent was paid for by the college.

“The college’s Indigenization Strategy calls on us as a college to increase participation rates for First Nations, Métis and Inuit students, both on campus and by extending educational opportunities to regions that don’t have permanent post-secondary venues,” said Kris Desjarlais, Director of Indigenous Education at Assiniboine.

This past academic year, Assiniboine has offered programming in more than two dozen communities across Manitoba including Residential Framing in Sioux Valley Dakota Nation and Applied Building Construction in Waywayseecappo First Nation.

Photo: Assiniboine Community College student Megan Stevenson is learning carpentry skills in the Applied Building Construction certificate program in Peguis First Nation.