[Click to Enlarge] Ivan Shook (left) and Joe Kiwior (right) with Lodge 359 Training Coordinator Gord Weel making the dedication


[Click to Enlarge] Joe Kiwior-Ivan Shook Training Centre

On July 23rd, 2015, Lodge 359 dedicated their new training centre in Langley, BC, to Joe Kiwior and Ivan Shook, two Boilermakers who developed hundreds of apprentices into Red Seal Boilermakers.

Ivan Shook, a member of the IBB Lodge since 1948, was the Training Coordinator for 359 after being a superintendent for many years in the field. He served on Lodge 359's Trade Advancement Committee that was established in 1964, the start of apprenticeship training in Canada for construction Boilermakers. He also worked with National Training in developing the outline that is used today across the country. Joe Kiwior, a long time member, spent many years working at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) training young people with a desire to learn the Boilermaker trade before he became the Training Coordinator. Joe Kiwior said "There have been others who have built the foundation of this lodge who came before us, Ivan and I picked up the torch from those people to make things better. Hopefully setting an example to the next generation of Boilermakers to make what we did better, that is how a Union grows."

The Joe Kiwior-Ivan Shook Training Centre sits on a one acre lot with a 6000 square foot shop that includes 12 welding booths, an area for fabrication, and room for rigging training in the yard using boiler components that have been donated, along with a classroom and tool crib. Lodge 359 has been hosting level 2 & 3 Boilermaker upgrading classes along with welding upgrading programs and steward training in the centre.

The Joe Kiwior-Ivan Shook Training Centre can be found at Boilermakers Lodge 359, 5510-268th Street, Langley, BC, Canada, one hour east of Vancouver.