Ontario Construction News staff writer
Eleven Indigenous millwright hopefuls have started the Introduction to Millwrighting program at the Darlington Energy Complex, a specialized six-week course created by the Millwright Regional Council (MRC).
Since then, more than 20 millwright apprentices have completed the program and gone on to find work at OPG and across the energy sector through OPG’s Indigenous Opportunities Network (ION) program.
This year’s cohort, which began their training in early April, is the largest yet.
“OPG has been incredible in the support of this program,” said Andy Forsyth, a consultant with MRC. “This course is vital to equipping Indigenous employees with valuable skills for the future and providing much-needed skilled capacity for the energy sector.”
Highly trained MRC millwrights install, maintain, diagnose, and repair various industrial and mechanical equipment – from pumps and conveyors to the steam turbines that produce electricity at OPG’s nuclear stations.
The trade is currently in high demand, particularly with the ongoing Darlington refurbishment project and other construction projects underway around the energy industry.
The ITM program focuses on safety fundamentals, instruction in the millwright trade, and preparation for the aptitude test required to enter the millwright union.
Successful graduates from this year’s class will be eligible to be dispatched through the ION program to major contractors working on OPG’s Darlington Refurbishment project. After completing a probationary period, the candidates will become members of the millwright union.
Past graduates include Sami Jewer and Amanda Bailey, both of whom made career changes through the ION program and ITM course. After graduating, Jewer and Bailey began their journey as millwright apprentices on the Darlington Refurbishment – Jewer finding work with E.S. Fox and Bailey being contracted by CanAtom.
Jewer credits the specialized millwright training course for helping her get up and running so quickly in her new career.
“It really prepared us for what we were getting into,” she said.
Since launching in September 2018, OPG’s ION program has helped place more than 100 Indigenous workers in various roles at OPG and across the energy sector. The company continues to work with Kagita Mikam Aboriginal Employment and Training, based in Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, to help identify and assess recruits for ION.
ION is helping to support the goals outlined in OPG’s Reconciliation Action Plan, which commits to increasing the representation of Indigenous employees across the company and growing the economic impact for Indigenous communities and businesses to $1 billion over 10 years.