St. Clair College receives $75,000 gift from Unifor
Money to be used to buy equipment for technical training programs
The dangers to the local economy of the growing skill trades shortage has become a familiar refrain, but Unifor Local 444 backed its concerns with cash Tuesday by donating $75,000 to St. Clair College’s technical programs.
The money will be spent on purchasing new equipment for the college’s Ford Centre of Excellence and the new St. Clair College Skilled Trades Regional Training Centre.
“It wasn’t just giving a donation and walking away,” said Dino Chiodo, president of Local 444. “A partnership has developed.
“We want to be a player in making sure we’re all focused on what’s important to make sure we don’t have that skills gap.”
Chiodo said he only had to look at his own membership to see the looming crisis ahead. The baby boomer generation is beginning to retire and take with it their skills before the next generation is there to benefit from such knowledge.
“At the Windsor Assembly Plant you probably have 1,000 people out of 6,000 who are eligible to retire,” Chiodo said.
“St. Clair has the means to do that, why wouldn’t we take advantage of that knowing openings will be coming in the future for those specific jobs?”
The donation is particularly timely with the college embarking on a plan to update its older equipment with modern machinery.
“What it symbolizes is, not only the donation of $75,000, but the collaboration and willingness of Unifor to participate in supporting all the skilled trades, engineering and apprenticeships,” said Patti France, president of St. Clair College. “No one can do it on their own, there’s no magic bullet.”
France said after several years of the various stakeholders pushing the trades as a viable career locally, the message finally seems to be resonating with students and their families.
France noted applications from women are also on the rise. “Applications are up in all our technical programs,” said France, who added final enrolment numbers won’t be available until August.
“Youth are realizing these are great jobs that will allow them to stay in the community and earn great money.
“They’re getting hired before they even cross the graduation stage in June. We’re getting calls for students and we don’t have anybody to send.”
Chiodo said Local 444 took a couple years to examine how it could best get involved. He said the union felt the standards, equipment and technical teaching at the college was the best fit for Local 444’s goals.
“We’re saying we’re looking at this wrong,” Chiodo said, noting increasing use of temporary foreign skilled trades workers.
“What we need to do is refocus ourselves with St. Clair College and with their direction to give people the technical component to learn these trades. The trades is a good way to have a good lifestyle in this community.”
France said this is just the beginning of a stronger relationship with Unifor.
“We’ve talked about training and credit recognition in being able to get people out in the workforce without duplication.
“An employer could get a skilled employee in a shorter duration and have less of an investment.”