The Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association (PGNAETA) has signed a memorandum of understanding with seven organizations to promote Aboriginal trades apprenticeships in the region.
The B.C. Construction Association, Carpenter’s Union Local 1998, City of Prince George, Industry Training Authority, Millwrights, Machine Erectors and Maintenance Union Local 2736, Northern B.C. Construction Association and Prince George Construction Association have all signed on to the agreement.
“By 2020, Canada is going to need one million tradespeople. Fifteen years really isn’t a lot of time to prepare people,” PGNAETA Aboriginal apprenticeship coordinator Paula Bellerose said. “We have the supply, they have the demand. We need to start preparing them now.”
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Angela Gismondi December 9, 2020 FILE PHOTO Denise Jones (top left), who was instrumental in partnering with the Carpenters’ Union to plan and build the Wakefield Primary School in Trelawny, Jamaica, passed away recently at the age of 64. Chris Campbell, equity diversity representative for the Carpenters’ Union, says Jones was a pillar of the Black community and will be missed.
Although Denise Jones will be most remembered for her contributions to the entertainment industry and the Jamaican-Canadian community, those in the construction industry will remember her efforts with the Carpenters’ Union to get a school built in her native land of Jamaica.