Business View Magazine | July 2019

387 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE JULY 2019 ORGANI ZAT ION OF CANADI AN NUCLEAR INDUSTR I ES and electricians. The reason we were successful in getting S.T.E.P. (Skilled Trades Employment Pathway) funding through the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities is that we demonstrated our program would make more young people aware of the importance of skilled trades and the opportunities available in our industry. “We’ve had a lot of success with recruiting students; giving them a three-week training program, where they learn what it’s like working in a nuclear environment. We’ve worked diligently on that program for the last year, placing about 40 young people in companies that supply directly or indirectly to the nuclear industry. We have bursaries with several colleges, including Durham, Mohawk, Conestoga, Algonquin, and Georgian to encourage students who can’t afford tuition, to go to college, learn a trade, and join our industry. We also work closely with universities. At the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, we’ve established the Martin Wash Memorial Scholarship – two per year of $2,500 each, one for a male, one for a female, in the nuclear engineering department at UOIT. It’s in memory of Martin Wash, the first president of OCNI, who passed away in 2018. “We’ve also launched an Indigenous Engagement Initiative. Bruce Power and OPG have similar recruitment programs and we wanted to do our share. One of our unique advantages is that we have companies near large indigenous bands, like the Six Nations of the Grand River, so young pictured left Boilermaker pre-apprentices along with representatives from Durham College, OPG, IBB, Aecon Industrial, EPSCA and OCNI gathered at Durham College on April 29th to celebrate the inaugural three-week program. people can stay closer to their home area and still find positions in the nuclear supply chain companies that are in the region.” BVM: What other important points would you like to share about the nuclear industry and OCNI? Oberth: “Climate change is one of the most serious threats facing our planet. We certainly believe that nuclear is one of the key tools we have to help address climate change because nuclear power plants don’t produce carbon dioxide the way coal-fired or gas-fired plants do. At the high level, nuclear has an important part to play. Some countries, like Germany, believe they can reduce their carbon footprint through renewables, alone.