On November 20-22, the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS) held its first official session of the peer-reviewed Fundamentals of Construction Labour Relations Course. The OCS developed this course in consultation with numerous industry stakeholders and after a successful pilot in May 2023, along with input from industry experts, the course was officially launched in September.
Taking the course provides you with some valuable credentials, McMaster University has accredited the course through its Continuing Education program and participants who complete the full three days will receive a joint Certificate of Attendance. The course is also accredited by CCA’s Gold Seal Certification, a recognized standard of excellence for construction management professionals.
This fundamentals course is meant as a broad overview of Ontario’s construction labour relations processes. It can be beneficial to more experienced labour relations professionals as a review of concepts. At the same time, it is also suitable for inexperienced or new industry members to attend the course to start to broaden their knowledge of labour relations.
Labour Relations Manager at Irving Oil, Cole Carson, facilitated the course. With over 15 years of experience in labour relations within the unionized construction industry from across the country, Cole was an excellent facilitator for the course. Carmine Tiano, the Director of Occupational Services at the Ontario Building Trades, joined us for the final day to cover the Health & Safety and Human Rights aspects of the course.
The course is intended for individuals involved in the unionized ICI construction sector, whether that be labour or management. Additional applicants can include employee or employer bargaining committee members, Ministry of Labour staff, and other stakeholders affiliated with Ontario’s unionized construction sector.
The OCS is going to continue to offer the Fundamentals of Construction Labour Relations Course, with sessions throughout the year. If you are interested in attending the course, please apply to the waitlist to receive updates when future course dates are announced.
For additional information about the course and how to apply please click the link below.
https://ocs.swoogo.com/LR_Course
