Camosun College takes steps toward marine fitter program

A group shot of the apprentices and Seaspan staff who installed the bulkhead at Camosun College. Image courtesy of Camosun.

In November 2016 Camosun College in Victoria, B.C., unveiled an exciting new addition to its trades training complex – a 6-tonne ship bulkhead training module. The module was manufactured, donated, and installed by Seaspan’s Victoria Shipyards. It is just one of a number of ways in which Seaspan is working with Camosun as the college prepares to support the growth of the marine industry on Vancouver Island.

Marine Fitter Program Development

Camosun launched its TRADEmark of Excellence Campaign for the expansion and redevelopment of its trades training program in concert with the National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy (NSPS) about four years ago.

“We were preparing for an expansion at that time, but the announcement of the NSPS accelerated that process and enabled the provincial government to contribute $30 million to a new building that augmented our existing facility,” said Olaf Nielsen, chair of trades development and special projects at Camosun. “We have now increased our capacity to add well over 300 additional seats in trades training at the college.”

The $88,000 bulkhead is the final piece in a partnership with Western Economic Diversification that has invested $2.56 million to enhance trades and manufacturing education capabilities at Camosun. The goal of the bulkhead installation is to encourage students to pursue careers in the marine trades.

“We have been working in concert with Industry, British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT), and British Columbia’s Industry Training Authority and Ministry of Advanced Education to develop a marine fitter program,” said Nielsen.

A pilot for the first two levels of the marine fitter program has been running at BCIT for the past two years, and Camosun hopes to adopt it shortly. Level 3, the final component of the eight-week endorsement, is scheduled to pilot March 2017 at BCIT.

Seaspan was awarded the contract for the non-combative vessels in Canada’s fleet, including coastguard and coastal patrol vessels. The manufacture of these vessels is taking place in its North Vancouver shipyard. The final outfitting of the vessels will be done in Victoria. Therefore, it’s an ideal time to develop a good cohort of students with the requisite skills to do this work.

“The bulkhead will allow us to provide trainees – apprentices and foundation students (pre-apprentices) – with an opportunity to have the experience of working in the type of environment that marine work will demand,” said Nielsen. “Most of these students understand what it’s like to work on a construction site or in a shop where everything is square and plumb, but this environment is very different and comes with its own challenges and required skill sets.”

The bulkhead stands approximately 20 feet long, 6 ft. deep, and 10 ft. high. It is a cutaway from a hull section displaying a double hull configuration, the ribs of the hull, and its supporting members.

Nielsen sees the marine fitter program as a real opportunity for students trained as metal fabricators or boilermakers to expand their knowledge set and find new work in the shipyard.

“Marine fitter will give students a real understanding of shipbuilding, the lofting principles, the layout, and the very specialized components that are key in the ship manufacturing industry,” said Nielsen. “It focuses on manufacturing and new-build components, with a little bit of repair and retrofitting as well.

“It’s a very robust program and takes a total of eight weeks to complete,” he continued. “It really complements the knowledge of an existing tradesperson.” Nielsen is quick to praise the lead that BCIT has taken in piloting the modules, as well as the support that Seaspan has offered in the development of the program.

“Seaspan offered key personnel as subject matter experts in the vetting of the program content to ensure it’s relevant to their industry needs,” he explained. “They have been working very closely with us and have offered us insight into other workforce requirements as well, looking at how we can better prepare entry-level students also. Both Camosun and BCIT have been approached to look at different opportunities to offer entry-level training, at least in part to help employees transition from other sectors into the marine sector.”

Coastal Skills Initiative Outreach

Like many colleges today looking to demonstrate the value they offer the community, Camosun is also doing some more vigorous community outreach via its Coastal Skills Initiative. Seaspan has also invested in this program.

“We’ve identified that there are a lot of opportunities for training in coastal communities on Vancouver Island,” said Nielsen. “These are communities that are hard-pressed to receive the benefits of training in traditional classroom settings. Instead, through our TRADEmark campaign and the many business contributors, we bring training opportunities to them. This could be in the form of supporting manufacturing opportunities in small and medium-sized businesses of various enterprises, including renewable industries such as conversion to geothermo or solar systems, or contributing to training for construction projects, which we see in a number of communities. We can provide those training opportunities in both First Nations and non-First Nations communities that are not able to get community members to educational centres. We bring the training to them.”In some cases, the program works with the community to determine what they have identified as a specific training need.

“In Tofino, for instance, they have identified retrofitting shipping containers into housing as a project, which involves cutting and finishing the metal containers themselves, fitting and fabricating those, then engaging carpenters and other trades in bringing them up to a livable standard,” said Nielsen. “We have been working with the community for a year on that project, in partnership with Vancouver Island University and North Island College.”

Nielsen explained that they are still at the grassroots stage of the program, but it demonstrates to young people everywhere the importance of the trades and the skills that can be gained in learning them.

“The coastal skills overlay tailors our students’ skills to the needs of the coast and allows them to find rewarding careers at home in coastal communities.” Camosun graduates build and repair ships, operate ferries and escort tugs, build and maintain marine infrastructure and technology, and literally build our communities.

Seaspan certainly understands how colleges like Camosun help it do what it requires. “Seaspan’s Victoria Shipyards takes great pride in its longstanding and trusted relationship with Camosun College – a community and industry partner that is helping us develop and grow a shipbuilding and ship repair centre of excellence on the West Coast,” said Joe O’Rourke, vice president – Victoria Shipyards, in a press statement.