Missouri Women In Trades, an organization that empowers women through careers in the construction trades recently received the $25,000 Daughters of Charity Foundation of St. Louis award. Congratulations, MWIT!

The Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation will contribute $1.5 million to SkillsUSA this year, the largest single one-year corporate contribution in SkillsUSA’s history.

For details on local chapter grants, go to:

http://www.skillsusa.org/educators/lowes.shtml

This past weekend, Canadian prime minister hopeful Steven Harper (Conservative) announed that graduates of apprenticeship programs will receive a $2000 bonus if he is elected.

Said Harper, “We need carpenters, mechanics, welders, chefs, pipefitters and other skilled workers to build the roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and other infrastructure that keep our economy growing and our country strong.” He was speaking in St. John, NB, at the Carpenters’ Training Centre, a non-profit organization run by the province’s carpenters and joiners union and unionized contractors.

Okay, so it’s an election promise. But does this indicate a difference between two elections? From the US, we’ve only heard one peep about skilled trades and support for trade schools – and that was not even from a presidential candidate. (This is at least as far as we can tell, here at the trade up- feel free to fill us in if we missed something.)

The announcement was met with surprised applause by trainees in the audience. Harper also took the opportunity to opine that the skilled trades shortage was a sign of Canada’s economic strength and that the country was in a stronger position than its neighbours to the south.

Perhaps we agree, and the US is simply overwhelmed by much bigger problems to give any attention to something as ‘inconsequential’ as skilled trades.

“These guys have a job the day they graduate,” said Harper, whose government has previously brought in other incentives, including a $1,000-per-year grant and a $500 deduction for tools – all to help those in the trades.

Just less than 50 ‘Red Seal’ trades, ranging from hairdressers to welders, will qualify for the bonus.

Harper’s campaign co-chair, former premier Bernard Lord, called the promised bonus “very significant” for the New Brunswick economy. Lord added that while the province needs “doctors and nurses, we need plumbers and pipefitters and electricians, too.”

“It’s a great idea,” said one apprentice in the crowd. “Everybody can use a couple extra thousand, especially with the price of tools. We’re not doing this on our own money – most of us have student loans.”

Meanwhile, St. John Liberal MP Paul Zed pointed out that the Liberal party has already unveiled a $600-million program that will offer apprentices a tax credit they will be eligible for during trades training. “The Liberal program is cash in your pocket,” said Zed.

Learn more about hairdressing schools and welding schools Canada.

The US government has granted $1.8 million to the Construction Trades Academy in Southwest Viriginia.

The grant money comes from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration and will be used for renovations at the campus, the purchase of new equipment and the hiring of new faculty, with a bit left over for student scholarships.

“I am pleased that the federal government is making a worthwhile investment,” said U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher Boucher, announcing the grant in a press release. “A well-educated work force in the construction industry will make this region more attractive to companies seeking new locations to expand their business.”

The Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Foundation announced this week 10 new $500 scholarships for students around the country seeking careers in manufacturing.

The “GO-Brennan” Scholarships are tied to FMA’s sponsorship of 16-year-old Florida stock car driver Brennan Palmiter.

Palmiter, a proficient welder, can be seen in YouTube video inviting high school, trade school and college students to apply for the scholarships.

Applicants must be 18 or older as of May 15 and must be enrolled for fall 2008 in an institution of higher learning — including trade or technical school. They can also have been admitted to any coursework relevant to the manufacturing industry.

To apply, post a video of yourself to the “GO Brennan” site on YouTube by April 4. You can find details about video requirements and other eligibility rules at fma-foundation.org.

The Canadian federal government’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development has announced that it will provide $3 million over the next four years to the Construction Sector Council in Victoria, in the province of British Columbia, to help the Council deal with its shortage of skilled labor.

The Minister of Human Resources, David Lunn said, “In the past two years, our government has fulfilled its commitment to introduce major initiatives that directly help skilled trades workers and the skilled trades sector, including the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, the Tradesperson’s Tools Deduction, and the Apprenticeship Job Creation Tax Credit. Today’s investment in the Construction Sector Council goes even further. We are supporting the construction industry – one of Canada‘s largest employers – so that construction jobs can be filled quickly over the long term with employees who have the right skills.”

The money will help the Council focus on implementing programs and projects that respond to skilled labor shortages, increase human resources development and promote new opportunities in the Canadian construction industry.

This latest funding comes in addition to $33 billion already made available by Building Canada’s infrastructure plan, long-term funding to help meet infrastructure needs across Canada.

Winners are listed here: http://www.skillsusa.org/educators/lowesed.shtml

A $125,000 federal grant has been given to the Rochester Tooling and Machining Association (RTMA).
Kevin Kelley, executive director of RTMA noted that there are many job openings in the area even though “there’s a perception that manufacturing is dead in Rochester … so fewer young people have gone into the industry.”

RTMA has a mandate to increase awareness in the community of unfilled career opportunities in the skilled trades and to facilitate job placements in the sectors of tooling and machining. The money will be used to train young workers and for a placement program for those looking for positions within the industry.

Mr. James Moore, Member of Parliament for Port Moody-Westwood-Port Coquitlam, on behalf of the Canadian Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, today launched the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant in British Columbia and Yukon, at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Burnaby.

The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant grants $1,000 cash per year to registered apprentices who have finished their first or second year in a designated trade program, on or after January 1, 2007. The program will help apprentices achieve goals by offsetting typical student costs including tuition, travel and tools.

In announcing the grants, Moore said “Our government is committed to creating the best-educated, most skilled, and most flexible work force in the world. The new $1,000 Apprenticeship Incentive Grant will help thousands of young apprentices every year in British Columbia and Yukon succeed and assist businesses that need staff with the right expertise.”

At the announcement, Wayne Hand of the School of Construction and the Environment said, “Skilled tradespeople play an important role in B.C.’s economy and BCIT is proud of its Trades and Apprenticeship Programs’ tradition of excellence. By supporting young apprentices, we help them realize their career goals while ensuring skilled tradespeople are in place for the future.”

Canadian readers can get more information about the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant, by visiting http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca or calling 1 866 742 3644 (TTY 1 866 909 9757).

Morrisburg Ontario is home to the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO), which has just been awarded $1.7 million from the Ontario government to expand its training opportunities for heavy equipment operators and purchase new equipment. The money is made available by the Skills Training Infrastructure Program (STIP).

In announcing the funding, the local Member of Parliament, Jim Brownell said, “The Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario here in Morrisburg has a reputation for excellence in training and continues to produce highly-skilled workers…By investing in apprentices and skilled workers, we’re building careers, businesses and our economy.”

New equipment will include a bulldozer, a ripper, excavators, mini-excavators, skid steers, concrete pump simulators and mechanical hoe simulators.

STIP is a government venture by the Province of Ontario initiated to help training centers like OETIO meet the challenges of changing technology and provide them with an increased ability to train more apprentices, trainees and workers.

The Executive Director of OETIO, Gerry Hughes, expressed gratitude for the funding and Ontario’s support for OETIO programs.

“We are most encouraged that this government recognizes the importance of credible training for the trades in Ontario and for initiatives such as this to ensure a steady supply of skilled operators that can continue to contribute to the economic growth of Ontario,” he said.