Students learn how to operate many different pieces of heavy equipment in a real-life environment at the Maple Ridge Training Facility. A 40-acre state-of-the-art facility operated by the Training Association featuring heavy equipment inventory and computer simulation equipment worth more than $3 million.
IUOE Local 115 Training Association
IUOE Local 115’s Training Association (IUOE-TA) is a non-profit society that was established in 1965 under the direction of a Joint Board of Trustees, a labour-management partnership whose membership is equally represented by the interests of employees and employers.
Initially, the Training Association provided skills upgrading and training to Local Union members only. Over time the Training Association expanded to provide a diverse array of training to members and non-members alike.
The IUOE-TA provides training and support for trade workers, ensuring they have the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to meet the needs of our employers and industry.
In 1974, a permanent Training Centre was established and today covers over 17 hectares of gravel bench lands in Maple Ridge, BC.
The site is large enough for the operation of heavy equipment, simulating job site conditions and ensuring safe operating area for multiple pieces of equipment and concurrent programs. This location is a natural source of gravel, making it ideal for operating heavy equipment. Because of the gravel content of the soil, the property is well-drained, allowing training programs to run throughout the year. This gravel resource also provides a source material for our aggregate crusher plant. Product from this plant is utilized in the paving courses, simulating asphalt.
In 1974, a permanent Training Centre was established and today covers over 17 hectares of gravel bench lands in Maple Ridge, BC.
A significant component of all IUOE-TA programs is ‘hands-on’ training and the Training Centre has an inventory of over 30 pieces of heavy equipment valued in excess of $3 million to meet the needs of both program standards and student learning. All of the equipment and instructional resources have been carefully selected to enable students to develop skill, productivity, safety and quality in their work.
Quality standards are ensured and maintained through accreditation with the Private Career Training Institutions Agency. The IUOE-TA is an Industry Training Authority (ITA) Designated Trainer for the funded programs it delivers, as well as a WorkSafeBC Educational Partner.
In addition to the Training Centre, the IUOE-TA maintains offices in the Local Union Hall in Burnaby for administrative purposes. Staffing at both locations includes administrative and support staff, training coordinators and instructors.
The IUOE-TA currently indentures and supports over 450 active apprentices and trainees in twenty different trades, making it one of the largest training organizations in the province. Approximately 300 students receive training and upgrading annually in a wide variety of training programs, including Crane, Heavy Equipment Operator, Asphalt Laydown, Plant and Earthmoving Equipment, to name a few.
The IUOE-TA offers the following training programs:
- Crane Common Core
- Mobile Crane (all classifications)
- Boom Truck (all classifications)
- Tower Crane
- Plant Operator (aggregate, asphalt, concrete)
- Asphalt Paving (Levels 1, 2)
- Specialized Heavy Equipment (Excavator, Backhoe, Dozer, Grader)
- Road Building and Heavy Construction Foundation
- Heavy Equipment Operator (HEO)
- Asphalt Paving / Laydown Technician (APLT)
- Deck Hand
- Utilities Upgrade
- Rigging
- WHMIS
- Traffic Control Certification
- First Aid (Level 1)
- Forklift Certification
- Air Brake Endorsement
- Paver / Screed
- Asphalt Rollers
- Grades and Stakes
- Telehandler Certification
- Aerial Lift Certification
The IUOE-TA is committed to recruitment and promotion of training and apprenticeship through participation in a number of career fairs held throughout the province, as well as the Heavy Metal Rocks programs in Prince George, Kamloops and Kelowna.
Regular bi-monthly information sessions are held at the Burnaby Office.
The IUOE Local 115, along with the Training Association, has been a key partner with both the BC Road Builders and Heavy Construction Association, and the ITA in the development and piloting of the Crane Common Core, Mobile Crane Lattice Boom Friction, Boom Truck, Tower Crane, Road Building and Heavy Construction Foundation, HEO and APLT programs. The IUOE-TA is a directly engaged stakeholder in 16 trades and occupations which come under the jurisdiction of TransCDA. The IUOE-TA and Local 115 have been involved in all aspects of the delivery of training for more than 40 years and have been supporting provincial apprenticeship programs as appointed members of Trade Advisory Committees and their sub committees, the past Provincial Apprenticeship Board (including the Chair), the present ITA Board, TransCDA, the BC Association for Crane Safety and numerous National committees including the IPSE Red Seal program. IUOE-TA instructors regularly serve as Subject Matter Experts in as many as 21 trade areas.
Since 1985, the IUOE-TA has been the only designated training provider for the Mobile Crane Operator Red Seal program. With this unique experience, the Training Association and Local 115 understand the value of the Red Seal endorsement, and its recognition across Canada as a benchmark for the highest national standards. Operating Engineers have a long history of participating in the development of National Occupational Standards for the operation of heavy equipment. We are committed to the development of a HEO Red Seal program that meets or exceeds these national standards, ensuring an effective trade and apprenticeship program we can all be proud of.
The IUOE-TA and Local 115 continue to be major players in the recruitment, training and employment of the BC skilled workforce, both in the past and moving forward into the future.