CLAC teaches scaffolders and journeymen essential worksite skills
With decades of experience in training, project management, and scaffolding, Brian Delman and Wendy Larison crafted non-partisan, high quality, and much-needed training for all Canadian scaffolders.
You could be a union veteran, someone just getting started, or anywhere in-between, but they designed the Access Scaffold Training series with our team at TIQ Software.
At TIQ Software, we understand how important it is to know where the course information comes from, so here’s what the experts who designed it have to say.
Q: What field would you say you’re an expert in?
BRIAN: I’m not an expert. I learn new things in the scaffold industry every day. I do have a lot of knowledge in supported scaffolds that are erected and dismantled in the industrial, institutional, commercial, and residential industries.
WENDY: I don’t consider myself an expert. I have a lot of knowledge in the supported scaffold industry. Every day, I learn new things about the scaffold industry and more.
Q: Why have you been in this field for so long?
BRIAN: [Laughs] Many people ask me why I’ve been in the scaffold industry for so long; it’s because no two days are ever the same. This allows me to grow and learn — it’s challenging.
WENDY: [Points at Brian] New things happening every day and every week.
Q: How did you get involved in this field?
BRIAN: Many years ago, I got involved in the industry by accident. I was young and answered an ad in the newspaper for a records clerk at a scaffolding company. Soon I was in the field checking things out.
WENDY: Family. Both parents worked for a scaffolding company in Vancouver back in the late 1960s. The family business started in 1972 in Alberta.
Q: What hurdles did you have to overcome to get where you are now?
WENDY: A girl in a man’s industry has many hurdles to overcome, but knowledge and practice gain respect in the scaffold industry.
Q: What are your aspirations?
BRIAN: Non-Partisan training for all Canadian scaffolders. There are battle lines between several labor organizations, and each one believes their training is better than the others. What’s important is that recognized and quality training is available to anyone who requires it.
Q: With the hurdles behind you, how does it feel to be where you are now?
BRIAN: There will always be hurdles. I’m looking forward to learning more as they present themselves.
WENDY: What he said.
Q: What drives you to continue to grow and develop your skills in this field?
BRIAN: To have scaffold training in Canada be recognized by all, as a national standard which will greatly improve safety within the industry.
WENDY: To improve the scaffold industry and elevate it through training and safe work practices.
Q: How has this expertise benefited your career and personal life?
BRIAN: Most people don’t understand a career in scaffolding. I’ve met many interesting people along the way who I’ve learned from, and that’s benefited both my career and personal life.
Q: What makes you excited about the course(s) you’ve built with TIQ Software?
BRIAN: I love the satisfaction that comes with helping students learn something new. This training is a great step forward towards having scaffolding recognized as a trade within Canada.
Q: Why are the courses you’ve built important? What inspired you to build them?
BRIAN: It was recognized many years ago that we need training that covers Canadian standards. The development of the Z797–18 (Code of practice for Access Scaffolds) set the Canadian scaffold industry apart. There are various training programs advertised in Canada, but the majority of the training is based on standards from the United States.
WENDY: We’re bringing Canadian training to Canadian workers. This online training is an important puzzle piece for making Canadian worksites safer.
Q: Why have you decided to take your training digital?
WENDY: Bringing the scaffold industry to the next generation. Young workers learn a lot through digital programs and we’re bringing the scaffold industry to them through blended learning. The students take the online portion before they come to the classroom. The classroom and practical, or hands-on, sessions then expand the online training.
Q: What’s your opinion on digital learning?
BRIAN: Digital learning is effective for topics of general knowledge, and students can learn at their own pace. It also allows for more time to be spent on practical training, like the in-class and hands-on portions.
Q: Anything else you’d like to tell us?
BRIAN: We would both like to thank all the members who volunteered their time and expertise to support this Canadian scaffold training content.
