TRAINING & SAFETY
Delivering comprehensive skills and safety training programs to B.C.’s waterfront workforce
Training B.C.’s Waterfront
INVESTING IN A SKILLED & SAFE WORKFORCE
The BCMEA offers over 130 training programs developed with our members and the ILWU. Our members invest millions annually in training, on average, offering over 50,000 paid training days to the waterfront workforce.
Through in-class learning and hands-on training that utilizes cutting-edge technology and real-world equipment, we ensure every worker is equipped with comprehensive skills to contribute to a safe and efficient maritime industry.
Advanced Skills Training
Waterfront Training Centre
First envisioned and constructed in 2013, the BCMEA’s members have invested $35 million to develop and upgrade the Waterfront Training Centre (WTC) to be a premier training hub to best equip B.C.’s workforce with the skills and education to work on the waterfront.
The WTC provides a safe and controlled learning environment where new recruits can train on full-scale equipment without impacting active terminal operations and productivity.
Inside the BCMEA’s Waterfront Training Centre
Training the Waterfront Workforce of Tomorrow
Fostering a Culture of Safety
Enhancing Safety Through Comprehensive Training
The BCMEA’s programs focus on equipping workers with the latest safety practices, procedures and policies that help to minimize risks and enhance workplace safety. By providing advanced training rooted in health and safety principles, the BCMEA and our members not only comply with industry standards, but also ensure workers are skilled and ready to contribute to a safe and efficient maritime industry.
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In partnership with ILWU, the BCMEA's onboarding process for new recruits consists of a 6-day comprehensive foundational waterfront safety and hazard awareness course, a knowledge test, and a physical demands assessment. <br /> <br /> Once recruits are officially registered as industry employees, they must take violence and harassment prevention training, followed by a series of skills training programs at the Waterfront Training Centre. <br /> <br /> Recruits complete training with a series of training programs at our Waterfront Training Centre that include bulk labour and container lashing before advancing on to member terminal sites.
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A dock gantry crane is used to load and unload cargo containers between docks and ships which are used only at container terminals. Waterfront workers train up to 7 days at the BCMEA Waterfront Training Centre before advancing to a terminal members’ site. This crane was designed specifically for training purposes and is the first of its kind to be oriented towards land.
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Pedestal cranes are utilized on break-bulk vessels to move various types of cargo such as lumber, steel, tires, heavy iron, pulp, yachts and much more. This topside ship-side crane is the first of its kind to be designed for on-land training purposes featuring a simulated hold under the crane for operators to practice moving cargo in a vessel’s hold. Waterfront workers train up to 7 days at the BCMEA WTC.
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Terminal tractors are specialized trucks that transport shipping containers on trailer chassis around a terminal between storage areas and loading docks and from cranes to trains. The WTC has multiple terminal tractor trailers with the ability to adapt the facility according to member terminal requests. Trainees spend two days at the WTC practicing transporting shipping containers through obstacle courses and in practice with a container heavy lift truck, before advancing to a terminal members’ site for further training in a production environment.
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Container heavy lift trucks are designed to move shipping containers efficiently and safely between tractor trailer trucks and terminal storage facilities as well as loading street trucks. It takes 6 days of training to learn to reach containers perched on top of tall stacks and maneuver with precision.
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The efficient transportation of Canadian grain to global markets is a unique commodity that requires specialized loading protocols for adverse weather conditions. Our members have invested more $505,000 to enhance machinery and the grain operator program held at the Waterfront Training Centre, which is required before advancing to further training in a production environment.
Creating Safer, More Respectful Workplaces
Waterfront VIOLENCE & HARASSMENT PREVENTION TRAINING
In 2021, with the support from the federal government, the BCMEA in partnership with ILWU Canada, Ending Violence Association of BC (EVA-BC) and BC Lions launched a groundbreaking violence and harassment prevention training program for B.C.’s longshore workforce. Delivered to nearly 10,000 waterfront workers, it is one of the largest workplace violence and harassment prevention training programs ever undertaken in the federal sector and the first of its kind for B.C.’s waterfront. Powered by EVA BC’s renowned Be More Than a Bystander Program, the program delivers a groundbreaking, culture-shifting approach to creating safe, respectful workplaces and communities for all.
BCMEA Training Locations
The BCMEA operates two training centres in the lower mainland and in Northern B.C.
BCMEA Waterfront Training Centre
11000 Twigg Place, Richmond, B.C., V6V 2H4
BCMEA Prince Rupert Training Centre
181 George Hills Way, Prince Rupert, B.C., V8J 1A3