ELMA, Wash. – July 15, 2010 – The Northwest Laborers-Employers Training Trust Fund (NWLETT) today announced a significant donation of tunnel boring equipment from the joint venture Vinci/Parsons/Frontier-Kemper, enabling it to launch the first of its kind bored-tunnel training in North America later in the year.
“This donation is a great contribution to the region in many ways. With multiple tunnel projects on the horizon in this region, having a local world-class bored-tunnel program means we will be able to train many laborers and workers right here in our communities as well as attract others from around the country and the world,” said Mike Warren, Executive Director of NWLETT.
Valued at more than $130,000, the donated equipment was used at the Brightwater project and includes:
- The 50-ton, 17.5-foot diameter cutter head
- The 74.5-ton front shield
- The 45-ton middle shield #1
- Two 5.5-ton manlocks
Altogether, the new equipment will support the Training Trust’s new tunnel curriculum beginning this fall, which includes the only hands-on bored-tunnel training for laborers in North America.
Also supporting the new curriculum is a donation by the Washington Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Team (WALECET) -- a contractor-laborer partnership and sister organization to NWLETT -- of 100 linear feet of ring steel and wood lagging. Additionally, King County is donating 100 linear feet of concrete tunnel wall segments; Frank Coluccio Construction Company is donating a decompression chamber; and the Obayashi Corporation is donating 300 linear feet of railroad track for the “Track Installation & Maintenance” training.
“Job and safety training are of paramount importance to contractors and laborers alike. For years, we have helped train thousands of workers through NWLETT programs with great results. As there are an increasing number of tunnel projects in the region and around the country, we are looking forward to the bored tunnel program and see it as a major opportunity to get our workforce trained up and ready for new job opportunities,” said Mark Halvorson, Executive Director of WALECET.
All tunnel equipment and the training program will be housed at the Training Trust’s facility the Satsop Development Park (116 Tower Boulevard) in Elma, Washington. It will be integrated into the Trust’s S.H.A.F.T. (Safety Hazard Awareness For Tunnels) program, which the Trust created through a consortium of stakeholders, including Sound Transit, Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington State Labor & Industries, the Seattle Fire Department, Laborers Union Locals 440 and 292, AGC Education Foundation, AGC of Washington, Ballard Diving, Jacobs Brightwater, and the UW OSHA Educational Center.
The projected cost is approximately $855.00 per individual for a five-day course. Additional tunnel classes will begin in 2011.
ABOUT NWLETT
The Northwest Laborers-Employers Training Trust Fund mission is to provide state-of-the-art construction training to the Pacific Northwest, where the union laborer community is 14,000-strong. NWLETT’s instructors are dedicated to giving top-notch training in everything from General Construction to Concrete Placement to Hazardous Waste Removal and Asbestos Abatement. Last year alone, enrollment in NWLETT programs totaled nearly 6,000.
ABOUT WALECET
WALECET works to bolster the strength of a cooperative relationship between labor and management. Our extensive membership of signatory contractors meet regularly with the Laborers’ Union -- which has an outstanding 26-year no-strike record -- to solve problems, anticipate market needs and leverage resources to promote their market share and drive job creation. In Washington State, this partnership has yielded outstanding results for the region’s most notable, iconic and union-built projects. WALECET also works closely with leading industry organizations on issues of importance to the entire industry.
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*EDITORS NOTE: Detailed fact sheet available on request. High-resolution images available online at http://ow.ly/2c595.