Canadian Welding Bureau Applauds New Federal Skilled Trades Program to Assist With Shortage of Welders

MILTON, ON, Dec. 18, 2012 /CNW/ - The Canadian Welding Bureau applauds last week's announcement by federal Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney to create a new Federal Skilled Trades Program addressing the growing demand for skilled tradespersons.

In Canada welding is a high demand trade, one that is critical for the success of many major development projects across the country. However, Canada's ability to create skilled welders has been outpaced by industry demand, producing an imbalance that can only currently be corrected through immigration of skilled welders.

"For a long period of time, many of the federal skilled trade immigration initiatives have been consumed with red tape, did not successfully address the demand for skilled labour, and created barriers that caused the ongoing shortage in the country's welding industry," said Dan Tadic, executive director of the Canadian Welding Association (CWA). "This initiative, however, seems to limit the barriers and is a step in the right direction that will assist with the growing demand for welders from coast to coast."

Craig Martin, vice president of the Office of Public Safety for the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB), shares similar sentiments as Mr. Tadic.

"CWB Group has been working diligently for some time in many countries, pre-qualifying welders so they meet Canadian standards and are job-ready before immigrating to Canada," said Mr. Martin. "We've developed relationships with training institutions in the Philippines and Suriname so their programs adhere to Canadian standards for training and certification. We have also certified companies and qualified welders from countries extending beyond our borders for several years. A program like this is a proactive step forward because it will further allow more CWB qualified welders to enter the country, provide exceptional craftsmanship and fill the ongoing shortage."

As Canada's only national welding body and membership association, both the CWB and CWA have a vested interest in the success of this new federal program. At a basic level, growth in the ranks of properly qualified welders, as handled through CWB, helps protect the safety of Canadians by providing a uniform level of welding knowledge and qualification across the country. A new immigrant welder with CWB qualifications is a "known entity" in the welding industry - allowing employers to provide work for these new Canadians without worrying about their ability to do the work required.

Here is a link to the official news release. http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do;jsessionid=ac1b105330d7ab99ab80a1624bf8bdafe5c4df1c4605.e38RbhaLb3qNe3uQby0?mthd=tp&crtr.page=1&nid=711719&crtr.tp1D=1

About CWB Group

The CWB Group is a not-for-profit organization that is nationally responsible for the certification of welding companies and qualification of welders, ensuring Canadian code and standard compliance, and best practices are met by all welding establishments and educational institutions across Canada. For over 65 years, the CWB has been at the forefront of maintaining public safety while administering various CSA standards, certified welding companies, consumables and qualified welders.

SOURCE: The Canadian Welding Bureau

Melody Gaukel
ECI Communications
416-969-2704
Email: [email protected]

Vanessa Ciccone
ECI Communications
416-969-2717
Email: [email protected]