Co-ordinated by BC Corrections and Thompson Rivers University (TRU), six local inmates have completed skills training while in custody that will qualify them for entry-level work in construction – and possible apprenticeships – upon release.

The Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre (KRCC) inmates completed construction craft worker (CCW) – Level 1 training through TRU’s school of trades and technology last week. The program covers basic skills needed to enter the construction workforce, including operating and maintaining small tools and equipment; excavation, backfilling and compaction; scaffolding; blueprint-reading; surveying; skid-steer and mini excavator certification; and traffic control. The students also received their Occupational Level 1 First Aid and Construction Safety Training Systems certification.

In the course of their studies, the students demonstrated a strong sense of teamwork, putting their new skills to work by building a heavy-duty cement foundation pad, with drainage and a roof, that will house KRCC’s portable sawmill. Outside of program hours, the adult learners – many of whom came into custody with limited education – also helped each other with the math components of the training that some found challenging.