PLC training goes over big with workers One of the bread and butter courses offered in the training and upgrading program is instruction in Programma- ble Logic Controllers (PLC). The PLC’s are computer systems which basically control and monitor production in modern sawmills. So it really helps if a mill’s tradesmen are up to snuff when it comes to PLC basics. The IFLRA/IWA-CANADA joint train- ing program looked Jong and hard to get a good PLC course for participat- ing workers. In cooperation with the B.C. Insti- tute of Technology (BCIT) the pro- gram now offers a mobile PLC course. The course’s instructor is BOIT in- structor Martin Litster who has been doing the mobile training for the last five years. With a mobile trailer full of computer gear and instructional appa- ratus, Mr. Litster has taught alot of workers in various industries. On a job site outside the Riverside plywood and sawmill in Kelowna the Lumberworker dropped in to take a look at the PLC program. “In most cases they (the workers) have no knowledge of computers,” says Mr. Litster. “We take them from a basic computer literacy and work our ‘way up.” The course now runs up to eight levels. It's an information oriented course so there is no evaluation ex- ams or tests at the end. Workers get a certificate of participation showing they took the course. Since PLC's dominate the control of mills in the forest industry workers can apply the information learned to get in there and troubleshoot systems. Any money that is spent on training is paid back several fold when the workers can detect problems, fix them and cut back on the mill’s down time. Today’s multi-million dollar sawmills with their high-tech scanners and optimizers are no good unless you've got someone who has some ad- Weyerhaeuser Okanagan Falls. Both men are electricians. equate knowledge on how to keep them up and running. The mobile PLC training unit at BCIT has four systems for the training program. There are the plain MS-DOS compatible computers for learning some of the basics and there are three other systems with brand name PLC programs that operate in mills. They are Allen-Bradley, General Electric, and Monocon. During the training sesseions the in- structor sets up each individual stu- dent with the computer system that is used in his/her mill, thereby making the computer lessons more practicle. Local 1-417 member Maurice Hamo- line, who is an electronic technician at the Weyerhauser Kamloops sawmill says he has been to some PLC courses put on by manufacturers. “They teach you some nuts and bolts of PEC’s but they don’t teach you how to use them,” he says. “This pro- gram teaches you the nuts and bolts and how to use them. It teaches us to make up programs and use program- Continued from previous page necessary our members are better prepared for the labour market of the future.” Vern Carter, president of the IFLRA, says that “we are all very pleased that the program is helping to satisfy the needs of our member companies. It’s providing the upgrading that our tradesmen need and it’s really a launching platform for us to look at” other initiatives that are needed in the southern interior.” Mr. Carter adds that “every dollar spent produces a result. We don’t waste alot of money on bureaucrats.” The seed money for the program comes 50% from the IFLRA and 50% from the federal and provincial gov- ernments through an Industrial Ad- justment Services Agreement. _ ; The B.C. government has kicked in additional funding support for the ac- - tual training via a Journeyman Up- _ grading Agreement. The Feds have also put some additional funds in through a Coordinating Group Agree- e Committee’s chairman is Bill aker, former president of Local retired in 1990 after more as the local president. was 1980’s but that those efforts were dropped when the industry hit rough economic times. He says that today’s training pro- grams are much better and cover more workers. “With the emphasis on training and upgrading that there is nowadays, hopefully we will see an acceleration of funding available for training,” adds Brother Schumaker. Mr.David Sutherland, a labour mar- ket consultant with Employment and Immigration Canada, says the federal government supports the IFLRA/IWA- CANADA trades training model. “What’s really exciting about this is that industry and labour, in partner- ship, are directing and developing training initiatives rather than follow- ing the lead of community colleges and other institutions,” says Mr. Sutherland. “Here a very high value has been placed and on the expertise of the actual trades people who will receive that training.” “If we can improve human resource planning in the forest industry and in other industries by joint man- agement-labour initiatives, our com- petitiveness will be improved. These kind of initiatives constitute a new type of relationship that is emerging in the world.” ~ ming techniques.” Local 1-423 member Terry Todoruk, and electrian at Pope and Talbot’s Grand Forks sawmill says, like other mills the P&T operation is run by PLC’s from the green end to the finish- ing end. He says that quite a few electricians have some experience on computers and that the course can help them with their upgrading. Randy. Randolph, an electrician at Weyerhaeuser’s Okanagan Falls sawmill, says he first saw the PLC’s come in about 10 years ago. “At first they (the company) just pluncked the PLC’s there and said ‘we will see you later’”, he says. That made things alot tougher for electri- cians who had only been exposed to relay logic systems. Nowadays Brother Randolph says that workers have to know the PLC to do their jobs efficiently. Rolf Weissback, an electrcian en- rolled in the PLC course, says: “I think (the course) it’s a good deal. The in- struction that we’ve been getting in this progran is good and I hope it spreads to other locals in the union. Before this course come along I was stumbling around the PLC programs. Now I can move around inside them.” pane eAt the PLC computer course are left, Rolf Weissback from Weyerhauser Princeton, and Randy Randolph from Hydraulics training on increase After the joint management/labour committee conducted the needs analysis, it agreed to do what it could to promote better training and upgrad- ing for workers who have to work with hydraulics, both stationary and mobile. Just like the PLC course, both types of hydraulics courses have been en- thusiastically attended. To date dozens of workers from the three inte- rior locals have attended the classes. The stationary hydraulics course of- fers 3 levels, while the mobile course has 3 levels. In addition a new course is being developed for hydraulic/elec- trical interface. Modern sawmills are loaded with by diaulic systems from one end to the other. Continued on page eighteen ucts JOINT INDUSTRIAL ADJUSTMENT PLANNING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN - BILL SCHUMAKER Past President, IWA-CANADA Local 1-423 MEMBERS TROI CALDWELL President, IWA-CANADA Local 1-423 DALE HURREN Manager Human Resources, Pope and Talbot Ltd. RON HUTCHINSON Manager Human Resources, Riverside Forest Prod- KEVIN KELLY President, IWA-CANADA Local 1-417 TOM KIRK General Manager Employee Relations, Crestbrook Forest Ind. NEIL MENARD First Vice President, IWA-CANADA GORDON NICKEL Manager Human Resources, Weyerhaeuser Canada Ltd. WAYNE NOWLIN President, IWA-CANADA Local 1-405 GREG WISHART Sawmill Superintendent, Riverside Forest Products TRAINING COORDINATOR " PAUL SOURISSEAU Interior Forest Labour Relations Association GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES DAVE SUTHERLAND Employment and Immigration Canada DON ADAMS B.C. Ministry of Skills, Training, and Labour LUMBERWORKER/APRIL, 1994/11