Entry into the program is a lot like applying for a job. It involves filling out a series of forms, and completing an interview. The Operating Engineers Training Institute of Manitoba (OETIM), the organization in charge of providing both the hands-on and practical portions of the training, uses a comprehensive screening process to choose the best candidates. Applicants must complete written and oral knowledge assessments and undergo a personality profile. Once their willingness to learn has been confirmed and their attitude seems up to snuff, OETIM makes their selections. Out of a field of 35 potential entrants, only 20 make the cut.

The successful applicants are given directions to the company’s training facility: a 60-acre slab of land located just North of Winnipeg. There’s no running water or internet service, and a large diesel generator provides electricity. It is by no means a remote location, but at times it can feel like one. Rick Kouk says everything about the condensed month long course is designed to mimic real world conditions.

“We go 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. That’s what these guys can expect once they’re in the field.”

Rick is the head instructor for OETIM, a job he’s visibly passionate about, having operated heavy machinery for the better part of 30 years. He’s a burly but gentle bear of a man whose dedication to the work and vast knowledge inspire a quiet respect among the students. “I’m still just playing in the sandbox,” Kouk jokes, “only my toys got bigger.”

A sandbox this is not. The training site is muddy, windy, and colder than it looks. The bald Manitoba prairie, while picturesque, is a harsh environment even in early spring, but the mood out here is one of camaraderie. The students joke and laugh when they’re not on the machines, and there seems to be a feel-good vibe among them.

“This has been a good experience. The training is top notch. I have a great future ahead of me,” says student Steve Woods, a member of the Long Plains First Nation in south-central Manitoba.

I never get a chance to ask Woods whether he feels his future will be great because he’ll be making more money, or for other reasons. My assumption is that he has little idea of the number of benefits belonging to a union can offer him. Not only is he receiving training, he’ll also be getting a job out of this. A union job. One with health benefits and a pension fund.

For this the men owe some thanks to Jim Murphy. It’s due to his negotiations that the Alberta Clipper project is a unionized project.

“It took many hours and many meetings to negotiate the Alberta Clipper Project Labour agreement, but in the end we got what we wanted: to train and place Aboriginals on this project. It’s very important for future relations between owners, contractors, unions and aboriginal peoples.”

Being Business Manager of The Operating Engineers Union Local 987, Murphy understands the importance of this project and its future implications.

“The growth of our organization will depend on us training more minority groups. Aboriginals will make up a big part of Manitoba’s future workforce.”

Murphy is no doubt aware of the fact that Manitoba’s Aboriginal population has increased by nearly 25% in the last five years, according to Statistics Canada. As of the 2006 census, 1 in 10 Winnipeggers identified themselves as being either Indian, Métis, or Inuit.

Raymond Lavallee, a Métis participant from West St. Paul, says that the training “will lead me to bigger and better things in life.” Better things like construction jobs with big energy companies offering high hourly wages, per diems, and bonuses. It can be a good living, but it takes a certain kind of person to run these machines. For one thing, you have to get used to waking up early-- very early. Classes start at 6a.m., even on Sundays, just like at a real construction site.

“This is training in every sense of the word,” says OETIM director Marc Lafond. “It’s not only about learning how to work the machines, we try to replicate the real world of heavy construction.”

Leo Golden, Vice President of the Alberta Clipper Project, spoke of how the program came about:

“First Nations leaders told us they wanted to partner with us on our Alberta Clipper project. Thanks to the cooperation of Aboriginal communities, the IUOE and our contractor we’re able to provide opportunities to individuals who may not have otherwise been trained.”

***

After a long month of work and study, the students are invited to the Clarion Hotel in Winnipeg for a dinner hosted by Enbridge. Once there they receive their diplomas, commemorative jackets, and hats. They shake hands and exchange niceties with the people who made it possible, and everyone enjoys a nice meal. It’s a special occasion for all involved.

It’s an uplifting evening and, as the students gather together for a group photograph, I look at them and wonder if they’ve fully grasped how profoundly the program they’ve completed could affect their lives.