First all-women class of millwright hopefuls arrives at Darlington
At a glance
- OPG welcomes first all-women cohort of the Introduction to Millwrighting course at Darlington.
- Ten candidates will go through five-week introductory course, with the aim of becoming millwright apprentices.
- The specialized course, created by the millwrights union, is helping to build more skilled trade capacity for the energy industry and opportunities for women.
OPG’s Darlington Energy Centre recently welcomed the first all-women cohort of the Introduction to Millwrighting (ITM) course.
The 10 candidates were excited and raring-to-go as they attended a kick-off event at the facility on Monday, Feb. 5, marking the start of a five-week journey that will conclude on March 8.
The specialized introductory course, created by the Millwright Regional Council (MRC), focuses on safety fundamentals, instruction in the millwright trade, and preparation for the aptitude test required to enter the millwright union.
Once they’ve successfully completed the program, the 10 millwright hopefuls won’t have to wait long to get some hands-on experience in the industry. Construction company Aecon has committed to hiring eight of the participants while another OPG vendor, Black and McDonald, will welcome two of the candidates.
All of the successful candidates are set to work at Darlington Nuclear on the Darlington Refurbishment Project. This experience will set these individuals up for success as they embark on their journey towards becoming a skilled tradesperson.
We are proud and excited to be able to train more qualified and skilled women millwrights through the Introduction to Millwrighting program.Andy ForsythConsultant with the Millwright Regional Council
“We are proud and excited to be able to train more qualified and skilled women millwrights through the Introduction to Millwrighting program,” said Andy Forsyth, a consultant with MRC. “We want to thank OPG for their incredible support of this program and the millwrights union. Together, we are creating more opportunities for women and Indigenous people to enter the millwright trade and the energy industry.”
This all-women version of the ITM program is a follow-up to the MRC’s successful Indigenous-focused ITM course, which launched in 2021. Since then, more than 30 Indigenous millwright apprentices have gone on to find work at OPG and across the energy sector through OPG’s Indigenous Opportunities Network (ION) program.
These efforts are helping to strengthen traditionally under-represented groups in the energy industry and directly support OPG’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion strategy and Reconciliation Action Plan.
The ITM course is also helping to produce more trained millwrights, a skilled trade that is now in high demand with nuclear refurbishments underway and is expected to continue to be in demand with the coming growth in clean energy projects across Ontario to support electrification.
Highly trained MRC millwrights install, maintain, diagnose, and repair various industrial and mechanical equipment – from pumps and conveyors to the steam turbines that produce electricity at OPG’s nuclear stations.
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