September 22, 2026
Al Phillips, President
AS ALWAYS, I’M PLEASED TO see the annual Apprenticeship issue of Tradetalk filled with so many stories of young tradespeople working hard to find their careers in the trades.
In the magazine, there is also a lot of excellent information for people who are just beginning to consider the trades as their career path. I wish apprentices at every stage of their journey nothing but the best of luck for a successful career ahead.
While this issue has a lot in common with previous Apprenticeship issues, this year feels a little bit different. That’s because, after decades of relentless advocacy, the BC Building Trades (BCBT) and our affiliate unions have secured significant funding increases for trades training.
Last fall, the BC government announced a three-year $241 million commitment to fund the trades in this province. That was a massive victory for the many people who have been pushing for better funding for so long. We also recently found out that the Government of Canada has committed $6 billion over five years to recruit, train and hire up to 100,000 new trades workers under a program called Team Canada Strong. These are huge sums of money going toward training the next generation of tradespeople. We are grateful for that.
But there’s another side to this story that shows the strength and leadership of BCBT trainers. It’s one thing to repeatedly point to funding shortfalls and advocate for more government support for trades training, and we did that for more than 20 years.
It is another thing altogether to deliver when that money finally arrives. And that is just what BCBT training schools are doing. The United Association Piping Industry College of BC has recently opened a new Okanagan campus in Kelowna and is already training apprentices there. The IUOE Training Association has increased its offerings and is in the process of hiring additional staff on the heavy equipment and crane side. IUOETA will be looking at facility upgrades for its training site in Maple Ridge in the near future. Ironworkers Local 97 has a brand-new classroom facility at its union hall in Maple Ridge, where it has been welcoming pre-apprenticeship and upgrade students. Teamsters Local 213 and LiUNA Local 1611 have very recently opened a new state-of-the-art training facility in Chilliwack. Many students who have been through that building and its programs are already working in industry. The Trowel Trades Training Association is expanding its offerings outside of the Lower Mainland and has upgraded equipment at its training centre in Surrey.
These are just a few examples of the excellent future-looking work taking place. Some of these developments are a direct result of the funding; some were happening before it was announced. But either way, these are all examples of the strength and commitment shown by our union trainers.
We are always planning, always looking to the future of our industry and always committed to the highest standards of technical skill and safety training for our apprentices.
I am proud of the effort that was made to successfully attract more government investment in trades training. I am even more proud of the response that the BCBT has shown now that we have it.
Now more than ever, apprentices who sign up with our training schools can be certain that they will receive the best trades training in the province of British Columbia.
By Al Phillips,
President