Anyone interested in working on the Trans Mountain pipeline twinning project can now throw their name into the ring. Trans-Mountain has started accepting applications through pipeline contractor Surerus Murphy Joint Venture.

It hasn’t received permission from Trans Mountain to start making any firm offers as it just doesn’t have a start time for construction confirmed at this point.

Director of Human Resources Heather Eddy says those looking to get ahead of the game can take a pipeline construction safety course ahead of time.

“It’s about six to eight hour course and it costs $100 or $125. You can do it online or you can do it in the classroom. It’s going to be a requirement for anyone who works there.”

Eddy says there will be a focus on hiring local workers and indigenous workers.

“As part of the process, we really worked with Trans Mountain to create a very comprehensive local and indigenous participation plan. So, we have a real focus in hiring local and hiring from the indigenous community so its a priority for sure.”

There is no timeline yet for when formal employment offers will be made.

Eddy says “sort of a whole workforce plan of what we think we’ll need over the course of the project, it’s just a matter of when do we start and when do we mobilize. It sort of starts relatively slow, but ramps up and at the peak we’ll have over 600 people working on this project.”

She adds this work is preparation to start mobilizing people for the project with work set to begin in the Kamloops area this fall.

By Jeff Andreas