Loyalist Township council decided to show its support this week for a new province-wide training course for municipal public works employees.
Currently the province does not have a course that trains potential employees, specifically relating to municipal heavy equipment.
The township will be voicing its support to the province for a funding application by the Association of Ontario Road Supervisors’ (AORS). AORS has applied for a Skills Development Fund through the province’s Ministry of Labour, Training, Immigration and Skilled Trades.
Ideally, the Municipal Operator Course will produce newly trained municipal equipment operators with the basic knowledge they need to begin maintaining the core infrastructure in municipalities across Ontario.
According to AORS, public works departments across Ontario are experiencing labour
shortages, and are anticipating a high number of retirements. Over the last year, AORS has been encouraging youth to consider careers in public works through career fairs, local government presentations, and printed resources.
