Regina Trades & Skills Centre (RTSC)has partnered with Regina Food Bank with a project to take their Commercial & Industrial Roofing class on-site to learn the skills of this Industry. RTSC provides practical hands-on learning teaching students the skills needed to secure sustainable employment in the industry they are training in. Under the direction of instructor Mitch Kot, of M&M Roof Repairs, these students are taking their training to site by reroofing 7100 square feet of Regina’s Food Banks’ main building.
Community projects with non profit companies are ideal for RTSC’s students. This on-site training is invaluable to helping the students secure employment upon completion of their practical training. Not only do they give back to the community, but they are saving Regina Food Bank thousands of dollars in labour costs. They also get exposure to the actual work, the challenges of that work and the weather elements that they are not exposed to in a shop setting.
This building improvement would have originally cost Regina Food Bank well over $180,000. However, with RTSC students providing the labour at no cost and the generosity of the Saskatchewan Roofing Contractors Association (SRCA) and their member affiliates donating over $105,000 in materials, this project has been reduced substantially, reducing the cost for Regina Food Bank.
“Regina Trades & Skills Centre’s investment in labour, materials, skill, and time allows us to direct more of our resources into securing food and feeding our clients," said David Froh, Vice-President – Community, for Regina Food Bank. “These are necessary building improvements that are enabled through this donation. This is over 540,000 meals for Regina Food Bank users, during a time when we’re experiencing record need for support from individuals in our community who are experiencing food insecurity. This partnership emphasizes how powerful it is when the non-profit sector works together. We also believe in supporting skill building opportunities, and this is the benefit the Regina Trades & Skills Centre students gain from this partnership.”
Rod Scott, Association Director with SRCA says, “This past year the SRCA Board of Directors reached an agreement to support the RTSC Commercial Roofing Course with the end goal of our Roofing Contractor Members hiring the graduating students onto their work force. This type of partnership helps us address the shortage of workers. With this arrangement the SRCA and their members provided the 2023 RTSC Commercial Industrial Roofing Course with all roofing materials required during the in-class training sessions. We then learned about the Regina Food Bank project and understood how on-site training is invaluable to the future employment of these students. It was an easy decision for the SRCA to provide any technical advice when needed, and to donate the required roofing materials at almost no cost for the replacement of the roof. The SRCA has a Community Support Program that helps those who helps others. With the SRCA providing the Regina Food Bank with over $105,000 worth of materials it allows the Food Bank to direct their dollars where it is needed most - securing food and feeding their clients.”