SUDBURY -- A new private career college is offering programs in Sudbury. Northern Construction Academy was developed through relationships built with officials at Pioneer Construction and Fisher Wavy.
“Over the past several years, organizations in the construction, mining and transportation industries (have been) experiencing an increasing gap in the supply of skilled tradespeople required for these industries to keep up with demand,” said Malcolm Croskery, chief operating officer of Pioneer Construction.
Northern Construction Academy aims to fill the gap by offering hands-on training programs to prepare more people for the many jobs that will be available this summer and beyond.
In March, the private school started offering AZ/DZ truck training and a heavy equipment operator program.
“Those are our main focuses right now,” said Dean Derro Northern Construction Academy general manager. "We also have non-vocational programs, things like First Aid or transportation of dangerous goods -- even surface mining common core to be able to get onto the mine sites and what not -- so we try to be the total package."
The goal is to save contractors time and money through its programs.
“Basically what we can do for either mines or companies, we bring the students to an acceptable level to start operating so they don’t have to wait for them burn fuel," said Eric Morin, Northern Construction Academy program supervisor.
"Big costs savings being an academy like this because we can do that part for them and so when they go out to the field they can just start operating.”
NCA was approved to have 15 students per course, however due to COVID protocols that number has been cut in half. Spots are filling up quickly for both the truck training and heavy equipment programs, which begin in April and June respectively.
For more information on program offerings, or how to enroll call 1-866-NCA-GRAD or visit the college's website.
