Canada’s building trades unions introduces climate-focused construction curriculum

Feb. 14, 2024 – Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) announced the first pilot implementation of Building It Green – Canada’s most comprehensive climate-focused construction education curriculum, designed by tradespeople for tradespeople.

Funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy’s Union Training and Innovation Program – Innovation in Apprenticeship, Building It Green will be available in over 200 union training centres from coast-to-coast to support Canada’s Building Trades Unions’ employer and contractor partners, as the program rolls out nationally over the coming months.

Building It Green is a national union training program intended to strengthen the construction industry’s ability to meet the challenges of climate change. Developed by CBTU, with project partners, the Building It Green project will aim to provide apprentices, trainers, and journeypersons with a deep understanding of how climate change and sustainability intersect with construction and the impact they have on Canada’s future.

Together, with SkillPlan, Climate Industry Research Team (CIRT), and Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC), and through funding provided by Employment and Social Development Canada’s (ESDC) Canadian Apprenticeship Strategy’s Union Training and Innovation Program – Innovation in Apprenticeship, CBTU undertook a multi-year project beginning in 2021 to understand the challenges the construction industry can address in supporting Canada’s ambitious net-zero goals.

Representing over 12,000 professional tradespeople, including 3,000 apprentices, throughout Nova Scotia, Mainland Building Trades Council is the first to roll out Building It Green curriculums in Canada.