The big diggers

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More than 50 Aboriginal workers will train for careers as heavy equipment operators through Partnership between the B.C. government and the Southern Interior Construction Association, worth nearly $1.4 million.

The first intake was announced Friday in Armstrong for the Splatsin first nation and began May 4th in Enderby, with Okanagan and Westbank to follow in coming months.

In three different sessions of 18 people, the trainees will get 8.75 weeks of occupational and employability classroom training in road building and heavy construction and 4.25 weeks of hands-on training as operators of bulldozers, excavators, front-end loaders and backhoes to prepare for work in the construction industry.

By 2022, B.C. is expecting one million job openings with more than two-thirds driven by retirements in an aging population.

"When we get people trained for jobs that are needed in our communities, such as Vernon-Monashee, everybody wins. Our communities benefit from construction jobs and these trainees will help to fill those needed positions," said Vernon Monashee MLA Eric Foster. "One of the reasons I chose to do this course was to do a career change. I have always had an interest in heavy equipment and I am honoured and pleased to be part of something that is positive and exciting." 

"The class of 2015 is going to be awesome and we are all going to be great operators. The teaching that we are receiving is easy to learn from and to understand, so this makes learning enjoyable. The group of women and men that we have in this class is a great group to learn from and work with. I cannot wait to see all of us become operators,” said Patrick Thomas a project trainee from the Neskonlith Indian Band.