Teens, labour groups gear up to build $3.8B Gordie Howe bridge
The high school Construction Academy started two years ago to address the labour shortage
Teenagers with hopes of having a hand in building the new Gordie Howe International Bridge, along with many labour groups, are preparing themselves for the six-year project.
Right now, the bridge project is in the design phase and that's expected to last upwards of two years. The peak construction period is planned for 2021 and officials hope to have it open by 2024.
Project will be 'adequately manned'
Despite a labour shortage in some skilled trades, the Windsor Construction Association believes the bridge will be "adequately manned" because such a large project will be attractive to many in the industry.
Even high school students with the Windsor Essex Catholic District School Board's Construction Academy are looking forward to possibly working on the bridge project.
"I think it's overwhelming for everyone in the academy. We're just like, we could be building this with the guys who are older," said 16-year-old Seth Kwasnicki, who is a Grade 11 student at St. Joseph's Catholic High School.
Watch why Construction Academy students are so excited about the bridge project
Kwasnicki is one of 45 students who get apprenticeship and employment opportunities through the Construction Academy.
This marks the second year of the program and it began as a way to address the skilled shortages in the region.
Teens get more than 1,200 hours of on-the-job experience with masonry and carpentry, and leave high school with a level one apprenticeship, which is something normally achieved in college.
"With this academy I have a lot of opportunities," said Anthony Ibrahim, who was standing behind Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the Canadian groundbreaking of the project last month.
Local jobs promised
There's a $250-million commitment toward hiring from the local workforce. However, Bridging North America, which is the consortium selected to build, finance and maintain the bridge, couldn't say how many local jobs that money will create.
"We are going to be developing programs where we work with various training organizations to ensure that we have the workforce in place that we need for tomorrow," said Bridging North America CEO Aaron Epstein.
More than 20 construction jobs are in the process of being filled, from a senior scheduler and a field engineer to a construction survey manager and quality coordinator.
Epstein also said he's committed to having a diverse workforce — and that, he said, means women, visible minorities and Indigenous people.
"We think it's an important social responsibility that we have as companies overall," said Epstein.
One of the women already hired in the Bridging North America's temporary office space is Sarah Fitzgerald.
She's in charge of the health, safety and environmental parts of the project. Fitzgerald worked previously on the Herb Gray Parkway project, which connects to the site of the future Gordie Howe bridge.
This bridge is an international project and each country may have different regulations.
"If one of our two sides has a higher standard, then we'll hold both teams to that higher standard," said Fitzgerald.
Young women in construction
There are only two female students at the Construction Academy. The idea of working as women in a male-dominated construction industry isn't stopping them from dreaming big. One day they hope to work on the Gordie Howe International Bridge.
"To be so young working on it and knowing that's going to be there for a long, long time," said Maggie Macdonald.
"You can always look back on it and that feels good," said Shelby Dunn.
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