Industry, college join to form training model. (Sudbury).

When Inco approached Cambrian College In 1995 with a partnership proposal to address an anticipated shortage of skilled tradespeople, it set in motion a process that not only brought much-needed equipment and government funding to the college, but also sparked the development of a unique training model that may provide the blueprint for trades training in. Ontario in the 21st century.

The Skills Technology Institute (Sky/Tech) at. Cambrian has developed a creative and progressive approach to apprenticeship training, which sees students who are registered in one of three two-year post-secondary programs sponsored, as apprentices through the college rather than through individual employers.

In addition, due to the $5.9 million in industry donations earmarked for trades-training areas, S 1w/Tech became one of the key components of the college's $25.58-million SuperBuild initiative. A total if $9 million was committed to SuperBuild by industry partners and these donations became the basis for funds through the provincial SuperBuild infrastructure program.

The initial partnership with Inco was later expanded to include Falconbridge and Domtar, and ultimately resulted in both Inco and Falconbridge dosing their training departments and transferring their training equipment to the new institute. While the discussions for the college to take over more of industry's training needs were underway before the SuperBuild program came into existence, expansion of the trades area at the college was necessary to accommodate the donated equipment and the increased enrolment that was anticipated.

John Hood, dean of technology skills and research at Cambrian, says that while the Sky/Tech concept was underway before the SuperBuild funding became available, a lot of things came together at the right time.

"We had been providing training for inco, Falconbridge and Domtar with the existing buildings we had, but it was getting very tough space-wise," Hood says. "Part of the commitment we made when created Sky/Tech was that we would seek funding to get new facilities and luckily the funding came forward from SuperBuild."

An additional 30,000 square feet of shop and classroom space has been added to the existing 58,000-square-foot industrial training centre at the Barrydowne campus. With the equipment donated by industry, the college has been able to equip the new 10,000-square-foot millwright shop and increase enrolment in the millwright program from 25 students two years ago to 100 first-year students and 60 second-year students this year. As well, the additions to the heavy equipment and automotive shops have provided professors and students with improved work areas, and the space to accommodate equipment previously located off campus.

During periods of downsizing in the 1990s, industry recognized that it had less money to spend on training and retraining, but at the same time was faced with the need to spend more money to maintain and develop the training needed to respond to rapidly changing technologies and growing pressures to remain competitive.

Hood gives credit to Inco for having the daring to help launch Sky/Tech.

"It was their decision that they were in the business of producing nickel and not in the business of education," Hood says. "We at the college are in the business of education."

Lloyd Strong, who recently retired from Inco, was the manager of maintenance at Inco at the time and became the first chair of the Sky/Tech board. He says the company was having difficulty finding good tradespeople.

"The colleges had trades programs, but many people in industry felt that the graduates required more training and that cost a lot of money for industry," Strong says. "So we thought, why not form partnerships with the colleges and help them do it right -- the way we want it. So in the longer term it was a cost saving for Inco."

But while the costs involved were an important consideration, so also was the quality of the training the students were receiving. As industry turned more to technology to reduce costs and promote productivity, it required a highly skilled workforce to operate, maintain and repair the new technology.

In answer to these challenges Sky/Tech has developed a model for training apprentices which college officials think is unique in the province. Rather than the traditional apprenticeship contract in which an individual must first find an employer who will sponsor him/her as an apprentice, a pilot project was launched in co-operation with Inco with students registered as apprentices through Sky/Tech. Three trades were identified for the pilot project - millwright, heavy equipment mechanic and industrial electrician. Students studied at the college full time for two semesters (September through to May) then worked at Inco on paid placements throughout the summer. They then returned for their second year and also had the possibility of a second summer placement with Inco.

The chair of skills training at Cambrian, Al Sidock says that under the traditional apprenticeship system students would attend school three times for eight weeks at a time during their five-year apprenticeship. Recent changes made to provincial apprenticeship legislation changed the hours-based system. Now supervisors are required to sign-off on specific skills described in industry-set standards once they are satisfied that an apprentice has mastered them.

"This allows apprentices to move through at different rates and some people could move through quicker," Sidock says. "What we have done with this apprenticeship partnership with Inco is to allow students to start getting signed off on their apprenticeships while they are on a paid placement."

Tom Callaghan, supervisor of maintenance with Inco and chair of the Sky/Tech board, sees another advantage for students.

"Sky/Tech is taking on the responsibility for sponsoring the apprenticeship so apprentices can move from one company to another and still keep their apprenticeship contract intact," Callaghan says. "That might not have teen possible in the past where if they were with one company they were pretty much designated there, and their success or lack of success might have been very much dictated by that company and its business cycle."

While the number of students who are registered as apprentices has been limited by the number of placements available, Sidock says a number of companies have expressed interest in participating.

"Ontario Power Generation came in last year and took 20 students on an eight-week paid placement," Sidock says. "Companies are finding out that if they don't come on, they don't get a chance at the students. Everyone wants the best ones and there are only so many good ones available.

"It's a way for them to have a look at these students as prospective employees ahead of time. In the traditional hiring method, if you hire them and find out a year down the line they're no good, you're stuck."

As part of their commitment to the partnership, industry representatives have taken on a much more active role in directing the training activities of Sky/Tech. A 15-member management board, which reports directly to Cambrian's board of governors, has representation from industry, unions and the college, and full governance responsibilities for the Skills Technology Institute. These responsibilities include: establishing policies and long-term plans, approving operational budgets and new programs and services, monitoring the quality of the training being provided and advocating on behalf of Sky/Tech.

Although the Sky/Tech board is unique in the college, Hood says there have been no problems integrating this model into the college structure. One of the most significant changes in the trades programs has been the move from 40-week to two-year post-secondary courses. All of the trades programs at Cambrian, with the exception of welding, are now post-secondary programs. Students now have the option of completing a one-year course, or returning for a second year and graduating with a technician diploma.

Sidock says there are very few trades left which do not require Grade 12 as an entry requirement. He adds the move from the 40-week programs to the post-secondary courses was made in response to the demands of industry.

But it is the future opportunities in skills training that are generating the most excitement. Cambrian, through Sky/Tech, has had discussions about providing training and retraining programs for companies across northern Ontario and across Canada, Hood says.

"We are getting much more involved in the creation of training materials and online materials that will be available over the Internet. The long-term objective is that we will have a home page and on that home page people will be able to see what training modules are coming up and be able to book into that training right through the Internet."