Twenty-four youth graduated from the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association’s 32-week Introductory Trades Training program in November.
CTMA designed the program with its member companies to help reduce youth unemployment in the Windsor and Essex County areas in Ontario, and to help fill the skilled trades gap in the tool, die, mould and machining industries.
Youth outreach assistance and screening was provided by the Windsor Employment Assessment Centre and the Valiant Training & Development Centre. Funding was provided by Ontario’s Ministry of Economic Development, Employment & Infrastructure (MEDEI) through the Youth Skills Connections – Industry Stream program.
Graduates (youth ages 18-19) have gained valuable workplace skills and experience through this 32-week program that began in April 2015 with six weeks of intensive introductory training at the Valiant Training & Development Centre, followed by 26 weeks of on-the-job training at various machine, tool, die and mould companies in the Windsor-Essex region. Graduates have been offered full-time permanent employment by their host employers who include:
- Active Burgess Mold & Design Limited
- Anderdon Machine Tool & Mfg. Inc.
- Bolzano Tool & Die Ltd.
- Calframax Technologies Inc.
- Centerline (Windsor) Limited
- Cutting-Edge Technologies
- E-W Metal Works (1993) Inc.
- Glider Guard Tool and Die Inc.
- H. Beck Machinery Ltd.
- J & C Tool & Die Limited
- Jahn Engineering Ltd.
- JFK Systems
- Kapco Tool & Die Ltd.
- LT&D Tool & Die Inc.
- Manor Tool & Die Ltd.
- Mega Mold International
- Omega Tool Corp.
- Sigma Engineering
- Signature Tool Inc.
- Trimar Machine Inc.
- Unique Tool & Gauge Inc.
The CTMA has two more classes that are full to capacity that will be graduating in January and June 2016 respectively.
The CTMA is a not-for-profit trade association that represents and promotes the interests of the Canadian tooling and machining industry, both nationally and internationally and has proudly served its member companies for more than 50 years.
The Valiant Training & Development Centre conducts specialized training for machining, welding, robot programming and other metalworking skills via a program called “Earn While You Learn.” For more information, contact Mike Ouellette.
