Pathways helps IUOE 955 increase training of equipment operators
May 5, 2025
With most of its 12,000 members having worked to build and maintain the oil sands, the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 955 sees the industry as a perfect partner to expand workforce training.
Local 955 announced it would expand its spring skills training for crane operators, pipe-layer operators and heavy equipment operators due to a contribution from Pathways Alliance, which represents six of Canada’s largest oil sands producers.
“While our membership works in diverse sectors of the economy, such as building roads, sewers and other critical infrastructure for municipalities, health care facilities and schools, our local has worked with all six of these oil sands producers in the past,” says Chris Flett, IUOE Local 955’s Business Manager. “Our local has stood beside Pathways Alliance member companies in building and maintaining some of the most incredible oil sands projects on earth. We are happy to work with them to supply the skilled operators needed by the oil sands and other industries.”
The funding will open up extra spaces to train pipe-layer operators, crane operators and heavy equipment operators at the union’s Budd Coutts Apprenticeship and Education Centre about 60 kilometres northeast of Edmonton.
The heavy equipment operator and pipe-layer courses, which cost between $2,800 and $3,500 per person, brings in experienced operators from the field to train apprentices on the different pieces of equipment, including excavators, graders, dozers and pipe-layers. Pipe-layers are a complex combination of a dozer with a crane attached to the top used to carry lengths of pipeline.
“This is a highly skilled trade that requires precision; you will see them holding a length of pipe while working in tandem, whether it’s laying a pipeline or a sewer line,” says Flett. “The concentration and skills demanded of operators is extremely high. During the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion, pipe-layers were expected to climb up the side of a hill in tandem with other machines and then thread a 36-inch pipe through a 42-inch hole into the side of a mountain. It requires a lot of skill.”
More of those experienced operators are going to be needed according to labour market forecasts. The National Labour Market Outlook to 2035 by Careers in Energy projects the energy sector will need to hire between 110,300 to 116,000 additional workers to fill openings created by growth and retirements.
“We are supporting workers in Canada’s energy sector with investments in labour unions and workforce training programs,” says Kendall Dilling, Pathways President. “This supports our member companies in building a strong and secure energy industry by providing this crucial training for today’s workers and adding training capacity for workers of tomorrow.”
The union’s past relationship with industry made it an ideal partner, Dilling says.
“Local 955 has an excellent track record of supporting our industry, retaining a high percentage of apprentices in their program, fostering strong relationships with Indigenous workers and communities as well as providing skilled labour on major projects.”
The Pathways Alliance support follows last year’s announcement by the Alberta government, which saw IUOE Local 955 become the first union to ever receive provincial dollars for skills training. This successful partnership led to a historic $5-million grant allocated for union training providers in the 2025 provincial budget, announced in February.
“We’re pleased the provincial government sees the value in our training. Having Pathways as a supporter builds on that recognition,” Flett says. “Our members can help Pathways in its efforts to advance environmental innovation and grow the oil sands.”
