Officially opened on October 7, 1996, Forest Renewal BC Value-Added Skills Centre in Abbotsford, BC, teaches high-end, value-added wood manufacturing skills.
The Centre provides a unique opportunity for students to formalize their knowledge. In addition, the increased skilled workforce will further enable the industry to smoothly adjust from primary to secondary timber resources.
The Centre is the result of a combined effort of Forest Renewal BC and BC Wood Specialties Group. Funding of $9.8 million from Forest Renewal BC will help ensure the Center reaches its goal of training up to 600 students over the next five years.
The courses offered have been identified by the value-added sector as being those most urgently required. Training concentrates on processes between dry-kiln stage and the final finishing. Students complete wood products machinist training in sawing, profiling, gluing, and surfacing.
The classes are designed to be job-related and are given in one-week courses with 80 percent of the time devoted to hands-on training.
After the successful completion of all five training modules, students receive the Master Wood Machinist Certificate. The completion of any two modules earns the Wood Machinist Certificate.
Instructors have been recruited from across North America and include those with both practical and theoretical knowledge.
The program specifically targets three groups: current employees of BC value-added firms, out-of-work forest workers identified by Forest Renewal BC, and unemployed BC Residents who have a guarantee of work after training.
Forest Renewal BC is a partnership of forestry companies, workers, environmental groups, communities and First Nations.
BC Wood Specialties Group is a partnership of industry and various federal and provincial government departments. BC Wood's objectives are to enhance the productive efficiency of its member companies and to develop and expand domestic and overseas markets for members' products.