Introduction

The Carpenters’ Union is built on training. More than a century ago, skilled journeymen would train members of their own families, mostly on the job, to do quality, skilled work and uphold the standards of the carpentry trade. As the need for new construction grew, so too did the need for skilled trades. The training of the journeyman carpenter moved to the classroom and supplemented on-the-job training for true hands-on experience.

While the majority of early carpenters perfected their trade in millwork, rough carpentry and framing, new construction systems and technologies mean today’s carpenters operate much more efficiently and productively than our brothers and sisters did more than a century ago. Understanding these advancing systems and technologies would be difficult without a structured learning environment that also takes advantage of the latest teaching methods.

The Carpenters’ Union is proud to operate the largest training facility of its kind in Canada through our Training and Apprenticeship Program. Here, students can learn about a variety of carpentry-related skills, including general carpentry, resilient floorlaying, residential construction, forming, welding and even some crane operating. Other affiliated locals, such as Locals 397 and 785, operate their own training facilities to serve their respective areas.

We are also partnered with the Interior Systems Contractors Association to provide the best training in interior systems, lathing and acoustic specifications. These skills are taught at the Interior Systems Contractors Training Centre, close to the Carpenters’ Union headquarters.

Our training courses and facilities are highly sought after by new students seeking a career in the trades and by established journeymen seeking to upgrade their skills. Workers from other trades are also eager to take advantage of the quality learning environment and cutting-edge technologies employed in the classroom and simulated settings.

In this section you will find links to the various training facilities and programs offered by the Carpenters’ Union directly or via partnerships with other training providers. We hope the information proves useful to you and helps to encourage you to pursue a career in the skilled trades or to refine your skills to become even more efficient and knowledgeable in your craft.