Millwright Regional Council of Canada committed to ongoing training and education for the next generation of millwright professionals

It takes a well-oiled “machine” to transition into a green economy. When things run smoothly in the public view, you can generally thank a millwright for that success. Though you may not be overly familiar with the term “millwright” they are, in fact, everywhere, working behind the scenes to keep equipment running that keeps industry moving.

The Millwright Regional Council of Canada describes millwrights as “construction and maintenance professionals with exceptional skills to install, maintain, diagnose, and repair precision machinery, UBC millwrights are vital partners in industries as diverse as energy, automotive, aerospace, food processing, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, material handling, mining, petrochemical, steel and alloys, mechanical construction and more.”

Millwrights are “progressive cross-trained construction and maintenance professionals who have exceptional skills to work in a broad range of industries. UBC millwrights can be found performing mission-critical work at gas, nuclear, and alternative-energy power plants.”

Basically, anywhere you find machinery being used, you’ll find a millwright. The ubiquity and portability of the skills required in the millwright trade make it an appealing field in which to study.

Millwrights with the Millwright Regional Council of Canada earn competitive wages and collect excellent health and welfare benefits, including a pension plan. A Millwright can earn a minimum wage package of $39.39/hour as an apprentice and up to $65.65 as a certified Journeyperson millwright.

The Millwright Regional Council of Canada is actively working to promote diversity within the industry through multiple initiatives that includes creating a network of active members that provides avenues for women to eliminate barriers to their successes and promote an increase in the number and diversity of women in the UBC. The “ MRC Sisters in the Brotherhood” (SIB) program plays a significant role in executing our growth and strategic development of recruitment and retention programs within our organization, along with supporting the overall goals and objectives of the UBC.

“Creating an environment that fosters inclusion and accelerates diversity is critical. Enabling and empowering women leaders is essential to our success, our contractor partners and as a leader in the Construction industry.” said Mark Beardsworth, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Millwright Regional Council of Canada.

Safety is of the highest priority for UBC Millwrights and our Industry partners — the Millwright Regional Council of Canada engages in an annual campaign to raise awareness of the risks of construction industry tax fraud — a practice that can have dramatic negative impacts on society as a whole (through under-the-table payment resulting in lowered tax revenue) and to millwrights in particular — lowered or non-existent protections, pensions, and health care, as well as allowing for companies to “cut corners and compromise the safety of workers.”

Entering into the millwright field and joining the MRC also provides for ongoing educational opportunities. As technology and business needs change, millwrights need to be at the vanguard of the industry. The MRC is committed to providing progressive cross-trained construction and maintenance education to maintain a group of professionals with exceptional skills to install, maintain, diagnose, and repair precision machinery.

For more information about opportunities in the millwright field, please visit millwrightont.com.