Annual General Meeting 2024: Recap
Linda Giesinger, AMBA Chair
Thank you to all our members who attended our AGM. Your support is much appreciated and needed. To tackle our shortfall of tradespeople and prepare for a mass exodus of retiring construction workers over the next decade, the Government, Educators, and Industry must work together to build a diversified and skilled workforce.
Here is a recap of key takeaway points from our presenters:
Building Code NBC 2023 Alberta Edition:
Presented by Tyler Hermanson, Certified Building Commissioning Professional/Energy Advisor
1. The National Building Code – 2023 Alberta Edition & the National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings 2020 will come into force in Alberta on May 1, 2024.
2. The prescriptive and trade-off paths of energy code compliance still exist; however, the effective U-factors of the reference building within the prescriptive path have changed. Most notably, the roof (horizontal surface) U-factor has decreased, requiring more insulation.
3. The NECB 2020 introduces the Tier Code with 4 optional tiers, with Tier 4 including air tightness testing, Tier 1 being equivalent to the Prescriptive requirements.
4. Space heating accounts for most of the energy use in buildings. Up to 20% of a building’s energy consumption can be attributed to air leakage. Airtightness is likely the least expensive energy savings for more projects, rewards good workmanship, quantifies the success of quality control and encourages sub-trades to improve.
5. As future building codes move to included embodied carbon, a shift from steel to more use of wood and other low carbon materials is likely. In areas with low carbon energy grids, like BC, embodied carbon becomes a larger opportunity for carbon savings over the life of buildings.
MBSE Apprenticeship Program:
Presented by Nicole Mahoney, Chair at NAIT
1. Enrollment into NAIT’s trades programs has increased and waitlists are growing. Enroll early to secure a spot.
2. If you have an apprentice on the waitlist, or are an apprentice that is on the waitlist: Once a spot becomes available, the Registrar’s office will email all students on the waitlist at 9 p.m. The first student to pay and enroll will get the available spot. If an employer is paying for an apprentice that is on that waitlist, email the Agreement/letter to regrecords@nait.ca to have the student’s record flagged.
3. Planning is underway for the construction of NAIT’s Advanced Skills Centre, which is to be built on the north side of the Main Campus. This centre will drastically expand admission capacity in 4 critical industry sectors: construction, transportation, advanced manufacturing and energy. To learn more about this exciting partnership with industry: https://www.nait.ca/nait/about/our-campuses/main-campus/advanced-skills-centre
4. To view upcoming classroom instruction registration dates: https://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/apprentice-services/attend-classroom-instruction/classroom-instruction-registration/
Alberta Government – Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT):
Presented by Ken Lodwig & Rob McCrea, AIT:
1. AIT has been working on the revision, development, and testing of an updated Apprenticeship Education Program, developing products in consultation with stakeholders.
2. Three main products have been revised: Core competence statements document, curriculum guides (former course outlines) and record books.
3. AIT is currently piloting these new products and collecting feedback with a selected group from 3 trades: Plumbers, Automotive Service Technicians and Ironworkers.
4. Shape your industry: Apply to become a member of My Skilled Trades Network. Contribute to what is taught and tested in apprenticeship education and provide input on what activities should be restricted to those certified in your trade. Apply here: https://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/trades-in-alberta/my-skilled-trades-network/
View some images from the meeting and wonderful evening!
