The union representing plumbers, welders and other pipes trades broke ground on a new facility in Langford on Thursday that will be home to training centre for students interested in entering the trades.
The two-floor, 10,000-square-foot building on Leigh Road, which will also be the new headquarters of UA Local 324, is designed to have offices and classrooms and a large shop where students from all school districts in the region can take part in “trade samples,” said union business manager Jim Noon.
The idea is to spark their interest, offer supports and direct them to trades schools for further training and certifications.
Work on the $6.5-million building, paid for by union members through a “dues structure,” is expected to begin next month and be completed by July 2025. The land was acquired by the union in 2020.
UFA Local 324 represents a wide swath of trades, including fitters for gas, steam and sprinklers as well as plumbers and welders.
Noon said the goal of the union project is to help offset some of the shortages of workers in the trades by getting young people started in the trades at an early age — and that includes under-represented groups such as women and First Nations.
“There is a massive demand,” said Noon. “We’re in a crisis, for housing and infrastructure, and right now we don’t have the workers we need.”
Noon said the goal is to attract local workers who reflect the diversity of the community
“The diversity of having women and First Nations is so important. We want our workforce and membership to look the communities we live in.”
UA Local 324 currently has 1,273 members — a huge increase from 385 in 1998, said Noon.
The union, which was chartered in 1902, has a diversity committee headed by Andrea Durdle, pipes trades instructor at Camosun College who acts as a mentor for women entering the trades
UA Local 324 currently has workers spread across the region on various job sites, said Noon, including about 80% of the workforce involved in all new condominium builds in Greater Victoria, local shipyards and at the new Cowichan hospital in Duncan.
Union members have also been building most of the new schools in the region and are part of ongoing maintenance contracts with shopping centres and other public and private buildings. Members currently work for 55 contractors.
The new facility will replace the union’s offices on Esquimalt Road.
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