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Winnipeg Free Press
23-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sponsored Content Program offers a promising future
As soon as Anfernee Clarke learned about the Pre-Apprentice Bricklayer Program being offered by First Peoples Development Inc. he was intrigued. A decade ago an 18-year-old Clarke started working in the construction industry doing concrete work. He loved the physical nature of the work but a back injury he suffered five years ago forced him to temporarily put that career on hold and seek out other employment opportunities. I like to build things and have a goal in mind when I'm doing that. Now fully healed, he learned about FPDI's bricklayer program late last year and wasted no time applying. He was one of 12 people who were part of the program's initial cohort of students when it was launched this past January. 'I made up my mind pretty quickly (about applying),' he says. 'The way they described the program and what to expect, I thought I want to give this a shot.' The Pre-Apprentice Bricklayer Program is offered through FPDI, a non-profit organization that facilitates partnerships to help develop and deliver training-to-employment programs to meet labour market needs. It was designed in conjunction with Bricklayers Union Local 1 to give Indigenous people training in employment readiness, safety, and construction skills to facilitate a direct pathway to apprenticeship and employment in the construction industry. The bricklayer program runs for a total of 23 weeks. Students receive two weeks of workforce readiness instruction followed by a week of safety training including lessons on First Aid, flagging and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) standards. That is followed by 20 weeks of pre-apprenticeship classroom and practical training at. For Clarke, it's an opportunity to learn first-hand the skills needed to pursue his dream of a career in construction. 'I like to build things and have a goal in mind when I'm doing that,' he explains. One of the things Clarke likes most about the bricklayer program is that it provides plenty of opportunities to gauge his progress as he moves through the curriculum. 'I like learning from my mistakes and I make a lot of them,' he says, laughing. 'It's great just seeing the improvement (he's made). I've been in the shop for a couple of months now and I'm way better now than when I first started. I finished a wall today and got my instructor to look at it. He said I did a helluva job, and it's a big step up from when I first started.' As part of the FPDI program, students receive classroom and hands-on practical training at MBTI's headquarters on McPhillips Street. Weekday Mornings A quick glance at the news for the upcoming day. Instruction is delivered by members of the Bricklayers Local No. 1 union who are eager to share their wealth of experience with newcomers like Clarke. 'The instructor I have is great. He's very patient and he know his stuff. He's been doing bricklaying for about 40-plus year. Whenever he tells me how to do this or that, I just shut up and listen,' he says, laughing. 'Both myself and everyone else (in the class) have learned a lot from him over the months we've been there. We've still got lots more to learn and I'm looking forward to that.' Clarke and his classmates will receive their Level 1 apprentice bricklayer accreditation in June once they have completed 800 hours of training. They will then take part in a three-month work placement this summer. Clarke is excited about his future in the industry. 'I'm definitely looking forward to it. (This work) requires a lot of patience and it's not easy, to be honest with you. But once you get it down, you're looking at a very promising future, not just for yourself, but for the people you care about.'
Winnipeg Free Press
09-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sponsored Content Bricklayer program provides exciting opportunity for young learner
They may not be physically present with him, but Stacy Kiyewakan's family is never far from his thoughts when he's in class. Kiyewakan is enrolled in the Pre-Apprentice Bricklayer Program offered by First Peoples Development Inc. (FPDI), a non-profit organization that facilitates partnerships designed to develop and deliver training-to-employment programs to meet labour market needs. The program was designed in conjunction with Bricklayers Union Local 1 to give Indigenous people training in employment readiness, safety, and construction skills to facilitate a direct pathway to apprenticeship and employment in the construction industry. Kiyewakan and his classmates are scheduled to graduate from the program in June with their Level 1 apprenticeship accreditation after completing 800 hours of training. They will then have an opportunity to put the skills they have learned into practice as part of a three-month work placement that could lead to permanent, fulltime employment. Kiyewakan, 20, says the opportunity to earn a regular paycheque and help support his parents and three siblings is one of the reasons he enrolled in the program in the first place. His mom is currently working full-time while his dad takes care of his three younger siblings. 'I'm kind of excited to help out my mom with the bills and she'll probably be happy about that too,' he says. 'I want to take some weight off of her shoulders.' Kiyewakan is part of the first group of students taking part in the bricklayers program being offered by FPDI at the Manitoba Building Trades Institute (MBTI) on McPhillips Street. He learned about the program while he was taking part in FPDI's Workforce Ready program that prepares individuals to enter the workforce. He was intrigued by what it had to offer and decided to switch programs. Kiyewakan says the generous salaries and benefits workers in the construction industry can earn was a prime reason for making the switch. One of the aspects of the Bricklayer program Kiyewakan enjoys most is its focus on handson learning. He and his classmates learn everything from how to build walls and floors to applying damp proofing. 'I like to be a watch-and-learn kind of guy,' he says. 'I don't like to just sit and read a book all day. I need to physically learn how to do (something) in order to know what I'm doing.' Kiyewakan also appreciates the fact instructors for the course have worked in construction for decades and are willing to share their knowledge with him and other students in the program. That includes technical tips on how to carry out routine tasks as well as how to conduct themselves on a jobsite. 'It definitely helps because they treat it like we're on an actual job,' he says. 'And they're very strict on the things that they teach us about. They always want us to be here early … and make sure everyone's here to work and ready to go.' Kiyewakan is looking forward to gaining some on-the-job experience as part of his upcoming work placement. 'It's pretty exciting. I'm also kind of nervous about it because I've never really had a job before so this will be my first time being on an actual job.' The next Bricklayer program begins in fall 2025. For details about the program and its prerequisites, please visit
Winnipeg Free Press
28-04-2025
- General
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sponsored Content Laying a foundation for the future
Greg Wood has been fascinated with stone masonry and the built environment for as long as he can remember. That's why its fitting Wood is among the first cohort of students to take part in the Pre-Apprentice Bricklayer Program being offered by non-profit organization First Peoples Development Inc. (FPDI). The program was designed in conjunction with Bricklayers Union Local 1 to give Indigenous people training in employment readiness, safety, and construction skills to facilitate a direct pathway to apprenticeship and employment in the construction industry. Wood is originally from the First Nations community of South Indian Lake and spent much of his adult life working as a heavy equipment operator in northern Manitoba. Two years ago the single father moved to Winnipeg to further his education and seek a new career while providing his two sons a similar opportunity to 'learn and grow.' Shortly after arriving in the city he learned about FPDI's Bricklayer Program from a family friend. He applied a short time later and began his studies in January. It was a match made in heaven. 'To tell you the honest truth, I've been fascinated with stonework ever since I was a kid,' he says. 'And I was always fascinated with old buildings when I was a kid. I always wanted to know how old this or that building was. I always had an eye for that type of work but never realized I was going to be trying to get into it until I (did).' The FPDI Bricklayer Program runs for 23 weeks. Students receive two weeks of workforce readiness instruction followed by a week of safety training including lessons on First Aid, flagging and fall protection. That is followed by 20 weeks of pre-apprenticeship classroom and practical training. Wood and his classmates will receive their Level 1 apprentice bricklayer accreditation in June once they have completed 800 hours of training. They will then take part in a three-month work placement. One of the things Wood enjoys most about the program is its focus on hands-on learning. 'If it was just auditory or visual learning … you would not know how to flow with a brick or with your trowel or to feel the mortar or know how your body moves. With the program, you feel first-hand how to adjust and what you need to do for yourself,' he says. Wood plans to continue on his current path and eventually obtain his Red Seal certification as a Level 3 bricklayer. Bricklayers are in high demand in the Canadian construction industry and can specialize in a number of different areas including stone work, restoration, ornamental work and the installation of refractories and corrosion-resistant materials. Wood says part of what drew him to bricklaying is that it's a unionized trade that offers health benefits and greater job security than his previous occupation did. It also offers an opportunity to have an impact on the community around him. 'Just having your work somewhere and knowing its your work, that's tangible. That's yoursignature and you're putting an imprint on the city. That is significant to me in the long-run and more satisfying to the soul. The paycheque is good too because it will help sustain me and let me do more creating.' The next Bricklayer program begins in fall 2025. For details about the program and its prerequisites, please visit
