Members of the Quality Control Council of Canada (QCC) can look forward to more training opportunities that lead to higher qualifications and better pay, thanks to a new training initiative announced recently.

The QCC has founded a National Training Society that will take specialized training for non-destructive testing (NDT) technicians to every region in Canada. Headquartered in Edmonton, site of a QCC Prairie Region school that opened six years ago, the Training Society plans to have a permanent, 1,200-square-foot national training centre opened by November in that city to replace the current school.

The Society will use the new centre as a home base as it sends instructors and specialized equipment across the country to provide training to QCC members.

Variety of Courses

Training will specialize in certification programs for NDT and HT technicians and will include American Petroleum Institute and advanced ultra-sonic technologies. Petroleum Institute courses include pressure-vessel, piping and tank inspection. Ultra-sonics courses include advanced methods of weld inspection.

"It's a great step for the advancement of the QCC in Canada to have our own training centres," said the Boilermakers' Joe Maloney, who serves as President of the QCC. "This training will increase our employment opportunities and our market share."

Previously, NDT and HT technicians were certified by community colleges and private training centres, using contracted instructors. But class sizes tended to be too large and training in newer and advanced technologies was difficult to find.

"The Training Society and the courses will give our members something to be proud of," said Brian Paradis, the Society's Director. "It will be the best training available. Owners will want our members on their jobs because we will be better trained [than non-union technicians]."

Benefits to Members

"Better training will encourage young people in the trade to join us," he said. "They'll see the benefits of working union."

Boilermakers International Representative Kent Oliver is a QCC Vice-President. He says the new Training Society will bring big benefits to members.

"A big issue with us was contracting out the training before," he said. "The contract trainers wanted larger classes because they made more money that way. Our courses will train five or six members at a time. The training will be more intense with not as many people in the class. And we'll be able to have more training.

"This will allow our members to get more certifications, and more certifications means pay increases. More training could bump them up to higher-paid classifications, with more job opportunities."

Best Possible Training

Fellow International Representative and QCC Vice-President Arnie Stadnick says the Training Society is "a step in the right direction".

"In today's industry, training is vital for the QCC and out industry partners," he said. With this initiative, QCC members are getting the best possible training available."

A regional training schedule hasn't been developed yet, said Paradis. But the Society will be conducting surveys to determine which courses are needed in the various regions.

Instructors and specialized equipment will travel to Boilermaker and UA local training facilities, where the courses will be taught.

The QCC is a partnership between the Boilermakers union and United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA). The QCC is recognized as the designated union to represent NDT and field heat-treatment (HT) technicians across Canada.