Trucking Careers Spotlighted
as OTA Members Host Tours for Students, Unemployed Adults
250 students from Windsor, Essex county schools
ride in 6 buses to tour TST Overland Express, CBSA, and TDS
Logistics.
(February 1, 2007) -- High school students and adults
had an opportunity to check out trucking and logistics careers when on two days
in January OTA members in the Windsor area threw their doors open to offer
facility tours.
Riding in six buses, 250 students from all of the 27
high schools in Windsor and Essex County enjoyed a special opportunity to
explore transportation careers by making stops to tour a trucking operation,
related transportation facilities and hearing from industry staffers on January
16 and 18.
The students had been hand-picked by guidance
councillors and co-op teachers and were selected based on graduation plans which
included those destined for post secondary education and entering the workforce
directly after graduation.
Neal Villeneuve and his staff at TST Overland Express
rolled out the red carpet at the company’s Windsor terminal as they
welcomed the visitors with open arms and talked about day-to-day operations at
the trucking facility. TST’s Patrick Greenwood, an OTA Road Knight from
the 1999-2000 team, also addressed the students. A variety of OTA’s
careers in trucking information brochures were distributed to the students and
OTA’s popular careers video was played for the group.
“TST’s Neal, Tony DelMei, Chris Robinson
and OTA Road Knight Pat Greenwood were the PERFECT hosts” said Paul
LeFave. “The OTA and the trucking industry were well represented. They
truly showed the human element behind the truck and clearly explained what it
takes to get the job done”
The tour also included stops at Customs Border
Services Agency (CBSA) warehouse and off-site location for the Ambassador Bridge
as well as a local logistics warehouse that feeds the DCX Windsor Assembly plant
with auto parts on a just-in-time basis.
Paul LeFave of Border Freight Resources rode with
students on one of the buses, serving as an industry tour guide. He talked to
the young people about the chain of events involved in the movement of freight
and prepared the students for what they should be looking for at each place the
bus stopped.
During the presentations teachers accompanying the
students emphasized the importance of good workplace behaviours, touching on
topics such as being late, absences, attitudes, work ethics and habits,
responsibilities, cooperation, initiative and the need to practice honest
citizenship.
The 27 teachers who accompanied the students told
event organizers they were impressed with the tours that had been arranged for
their students and the considerable knowledge of the tour hosts.
The event, called Transportation and Logistics Trades
on Tour, was organized by the South Western Ontario Industry-Education Council
(SWOIEC), in conjunction with the three Boards of Education in Windsor/ Essex
County. SWOIEC had previously organized similar Trade Tours for the Construction
and Hospitality Industries. SWOIEC is a council of volunteers from industry,
education and government working together to promote workforce development in
Windsor and Essex County. See
www.swoiec.com
In addition to the high school students visiting the
TST Overland Express facility; SWOIEC, as part of their ongoing work with the
CAW Local 195 Labour Adjustment Committee, arranged for displaced workers
– individuals laid off from their manufacturing jobs as a result of plant
closures or down sizing – to also participate in the
tours.
Source: adapted from submitted
copy.
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