For the second year in a row National Training has planned a professional development event for the Canadian Local Union's Training Staff. These events are designed to meet training needs for our local union training instructors to better prepare and equip them to offer and instruct first rate training programs for our members. As well as increasing the knowledge and skill level of the instructors the event also affords the opportunity for boilermaker local union instructors to meet once a year and share ideas and methods used in their home locals as far as training goes. Many ideas and practical advice is swapped during this event as the instructors discuss how they do training and what types of courses they offer and the resources they use to deliver their courses.

This year's event featured a four day intensive rigging training program in which each of the participants attained a Master Rigger Certificate from Industrial Training International. The training program was held in Woodland, Washington where the headquarters and training center is located for ITI during November 5 to 9, 2006 inclusive. All the local union training coordinators took the course along with their training staff in particular those who are or will be instructors delivering the rigging training for their local union.

The Master Rigger course offered by ITI is intended for individuals who have completed prior rigging training covering rigging equipment, slinging configurations, knot tying, rigging safety, crane identification and crane signals and other related rigging topics. In the Master Rigger course the participants spent 50 percent of their time in the classroom and the other 50 percent doing practical rigging exercises which tested and proved the theory presented in the classroom. At the beginning of the course the class was organized into teams which were randomly selected. This allowed the teams to work much like a rigging crew would as they worked through the exercises presented in the classroom and the shop. The afternoon of the last day saw each team competing against each other to complete a Survivor style marathon of practical rigging challenges in which each team was evaluated on safety, team work, procedure and time. The winning team was presented with an ITI belt buckle and other gifts. Each participant received a final grade and a certificate as a Master Rigger.

The general topics covered were load control, center of gravity, winch systems, jacking and rolling equipment, air assisted load movement systems, D/d ratios, effects of shock loading, load weight estimation, load factors for sling angles, inspection of rigging gear, rigging accident case studies, riggers checklist, rigging design, multiple hitch systems, load turning and load drifting, special load handling, hazard recognition, hitches and pick points and lift planning.

As well as the topics noted the local union instructors were coached by Mike Parnell the owner of ITI in good classroom teaching techniques and deliver methods. Mike "walked the talk" as he used very innovative, interesting and informative methods of delivering the course. There was no doubt in any of the minds of those who attended this course that Mike had exceptional rigging experience and knowledge and that he knew what he was doing. Even the most seasoned and experienced participants in this course felt the four day training program was very valuable and that they learned a lot and it was definitely worth their while to have taken the course.

The Canadian Boilermaker members who participated in the course were from Local 73 Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island Eugene Leblanc Training Coordinator, Eric Lindsay and Samuel Basque. From Local 128 Ontario Ed Frerotte Training Coordinator, Blair Allin, Ron Sostomi and Marc Guay. From Local 146 Alberta j'Amey Holroyd, Jason Carroll and Darwin Leitch. From Local 359 British Columbia Joe Kiwior Training Coordinator, Alfred Bennett and Russell Osborne. From Local 555 Manitoba and Saskatchewan Jim Beauchamp and from National Training Grant Jacobs National Training Coordinator. Local 203 Newfoundland did not attend the event because of other commitments but plan to attend the Master Rigger Course offered early in the New Year.

To enhance rigging training for our members, National Training has completed the development and printing of the Boilermaker Rigging Handbook and soon to be completed is the Boilermaker Rigging Training Manual. Each of the locals is busy preparing to deliver rigging training to the members using the handbook and the training manuals as the designated textbooks. The training programs will focus on practical rigging training to the level of a Master Rigger. Some of the locals have already developed and are delivering the Level One training program. Each of the locals plans to deliver at least Level One Rigging during the 2007 calendar year.

Back row from left to right: Ed Frerotte, Marc Guay, Russell Osborne, Eugene Leblanc, Alfred Bennett, Samuel Basque, Blair Allin, Joe Kiwior, Jason Carroll. Kneeling middle row from left to right: Eric Lindsay, Ron Sostomi, j'Amey Holroyd, Darwin Leitch, Jim Beauchamp, Instructor Mike Parnell. Sitting: Grant Jacobs