CANADIAN MINISTER VISITSTHE WWETB

THE team at the Waterford Wexford Education and Training Board ( WWETB) were recently honoured with a visit from Canada’s Minister of Labour Kevin Flynn.

The Minister’s visit to the training centre was to celebrate its success in delivering a specific training programme, the ‘Red Seal Certificate of Qualification’, which enables Irish welders to have their qualifications recognised in Canada, enabling them to apply for and positions and work there.

The Red Seal programme is the Canadian standard of excellence for skilled trades and was introduced in 1952. The first ever Red Seal training programme to be delivered in Ireland was delivered by the team at the Waterford Training Centre in 2015.

This programme delivery resulted in 14 welders receiving the first Red Seal certification outside of Canada.

During his visit, Minister Kevin Flynn said:

‘ The help that we get to build our nation comes from places like Ireland and the idea that we can work together to ensure that both of our economies are thriving in the way that they should is something that should appeal to all of us.’

Jacqueline Sweeney, Acting Manager at the centre, said that Ireland and Canada had a long relationship in trading that dated back to the 1700s when people from the region left to fish for cod off Newfoundland.