ELIZABETH MACDONALD
The Charter
From the Charter News, serving the town of Placentia and the Cape Shore
Over 100 people including students from Crescent Collegiate attended a Union Trade Fair at Long Harbour May 22 where they could find answers to questions they may have had about job availability, education and unions.
The event was organized by the Town of Long Harbour and had representatives from five unions at the fair providing information and education for anyone interested.
Mayor Keating said they felt it was a timely exercise in providing information to people who could benefit from work at the Vale Inco hydromet plant currently going ahead in Long Harbour.
"(They were) showing them the opportunities that are available in getting in and getting the courses and in terms of employment at Long Harbour and other jobs that are coming up in the future," said Mayor Keating. "(Unions) had booths set up where students and the general public were just going around picking up pamphlets and asking questions about each course and that type of thing."
Mayor Keating said it was important that young people got the opportunity to participate.
"There are certainly significant opportunities for the youth of today to take advantage of here," he said.
"I think a lot of young people were interested. I think they realize there is a significant opportunity in this skilled trade movement. It's not like years ago and people were mostly focusing on university as a prime source of education but today with construction and the rates of pay, which are pretty significant, they can take advantage of it and hopefully that will increase as time goes on."
Cal Jones, president of the Resource Development Council and business manager of the pipefitters union, U. A. Local 740 Plumbers and Pipefitters was on hand during the fair to help get information out.
There were booths and information available from IBEW Local 2330 - Electrical, Newfoundland and Labrador Regional Council of Carpenters, Millwrights and Allied Works, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, and representatives from Women in Trades also at the trade fair.
Mr. Jones said he thought the day was a success.
"There were about 100 people total. That was a reasonable turnout. I thought it was very good. A lot of interest. People wanted to hear what you had to say and what you had to offer," he said.
Mr. Jones said there is talk of offering another union trade fair in Placentia since Laval students were unable to participate at this time.
Mr. Jones said he was involved with this project because he wants to promote more people from the area getting involved in the Long Harbour project.
"There are employment opportunities that do exist here within certain craft levels and even though we have a very sizeable number of people in the province that are members with some of the different union affiliates, we would like for job opportunities to be made available to locals in the area and we would work with them to help them where possible," he explained.
Mr. Jones said the union he's with has just completed a state of the art building that can house 118 students at a time in Donovan's Industiral Park and they are committed to providing seats to students from the Long Harbour area and surrounding communities.
"If there is 25 students from Long Harbour and surrounding communities interested in getting involved in the piping industry, we have committed that there will be 25 seats for them and we will work hard with the mayors of the surrounding communities, with Vale Inco and with the employers to ensure that these people get jobs on that project. It don't get no better than that," he stated.
"That's about the extent of it. We look forward to doing a trade fair in Placentia to provide information that people would be interested in hearing."
editor@thecharter.ca
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