Piping Foundations program provides solid ground to build on
As Coastal GasLink continues to build the project across Northern British Columbia, we’re also helping pave a new path to employment for those who work and live in the communities along our pipeline corridor.
A recent partnership with the Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association (PGNAETA) supported the kick-off of Piping Foundations, a six-month program that offers Indigenous participants the opportunity to build sustainable future employment.
To ensure they set their students up for success, PGNAETA chose their participants carefully and developed an intensive curriculum based on traditional courses like upgrading math and science and learning industry basics, as well as an immersive look into Indigenous culture with First Nations Elders that cultivated belonging, strengthened beliefs and encouraged healing.
Piping Foundations student Daniel N.
Piping Foundations student Mark G.
“With more and more Indigenous youth living in urban centres, there can often be a loss of culture,” explains Draiciee Wilson, Special Projects/Events Coordinator with PGNAETA. “We know that learning where you come from helps you find where you’re going, and we wanted to give that sense of pride and accomplishment to our students.”
For 33-year-old Mark Gustitus, one of the students in Piping Foundations, those cultural lessons helped provide a balanced and well-rounded experience to the practical parts of the program. A former steamfitter with CWE certification, Mark was looking to upgrade his math education and get a ticket that would complement the 1,000 hours he’d already worked in industry.
“I was first interested in the Piping Foundations program because the registration and placement test were simple and I knew it would help me launch the next phase of my career,” says Mark. “What I didn’t expect was that I would get a real understanding and informed view of the science behind the work we do and the valuable experience of listening and learning about our Indigenous culture.”
Graduates of this program have been registered with the Industry Training Authority, and have earned a Certificate of Completion for Piping Foundation and credit for Level 1 Apprenticeship through this training program – an incredible first step toward their Red Seal.
“The students completing this program have worked very hard through what has been an unprecedented time for many sectors, especially education and trades training. The accomplishment is commendable, and the partnership with PGNAETA has integrated culture, academics, and hand-on trades training into this program in a way that will ensure long-lasting success for the graduates,” says Aimee Thompson, Education & Training Advisor, Indigenous Relations at TC Energy.
Through PGNAETA’s Piping Foundations program, and an important partnership with UAPIC, all of the participants have completed the program and each of the four have found employment in the industry.
The Piping Foundations program welcomed a second cohort on Nov. 2, 2020. Read more about the program and PGNAETA.
