Prince George BC – The Northern Skills Training pilot project, which has been operated by the United Steelworkers local 1-424,  has worked out a partnership with the new Babine Mill in Burns Lake.  Through the program, workers will receive  the essential skills training needed to prepare for the new  technology that has been incorporated in the new mill design.

“This is a great opportunity” says Ruben Gaytan Human Resources manager,  “many of the workers returning to the new mill may not be familiar with all the new technology and systems incorporated into the new mill. We want to make the transition as stressless as possible and build confidence in employees which will benefit everyone going forward.”

Set to wrap up  at the end of March, the NST project (funded by the Federal and Provincial  governments through the Labour market Agreement) has proven to be a  success,  assisting hundreds of forestry workers who needed skills upgrades and training to transition to new jobs as a result of the economic recession from 2008 through 2010.

“With the economic recession in 2008-2010 the industries were severely impacted and the resulting surveys and studies conducted demonstrated the inability of affected workers to transition to other employment, meet the challenges of new technology or advance into internal apprentice programs. All of which could undermine the recovery of the industry” says USW Local 1-424 President Frank Everitt.

The Northern Skills Training pilot continues to take in workers until the end of February 2014, when the pilot moves to wrap-up operations for the end of March 2014.  The NST team is presently completing the results of a survey of 1,088 workers conducted throughout the NST boundaries.  That survey will be released in the coming weeks.