The Transportation Maintenance and Technology Association (TMTA) of Waterloo Region has entered into a Strategic Staffing Partnership (SSP) with Conestoga to provide its member companies with direct access to top Conestoga talent.
A new partnership between Conestoga and the TMTA builds on a long-standing relationship between the two organizations. Trades & Apprenticeship chair Stephen Speers, Motive Power Technician student Ciaran Fast-Sittler and TMTA president Jake Francis are seen pictured at the 2015 Trades & Apprenticeship awards
Over 50 regional companies are members of the TMTA and this customized referral process will provide them with a strong advantage over other organizations looking for skilled employees. Paul Bergsma, TMTA board member and SSP lead, said the member response has been very positive with numerous companies already expressing interest in Conestoga’s talent pool. TMTA’s members range in size - some representing smaller local businesses and others with a national or international presence in the market.
“We’re excited about the potential this partnership brings,” said Stephen Speers, Motive Power Trades and Apprenticeship chair at Conestoga. “We are eager to see our students out in their employment placements.”
The SSP will initially be available to students in Conestoga’s Truck and Coach and Heavy Duty Equipment Technician programs and will connect them with employers for long-term permanent work as well as seasonal, temporary and contract work based on availability while in school. There is no cost for either the student or the employer to participate.
“We want to build this partnership so it can be sustained long term,” said Bergsma. “In the future we may also be able to expand it. There are a wide range of opportunities in the transportation industry including technician, sales, marketing and accounting.” “This partnership formalizes an existing relationship with Conestoga and it’s a partnership where everyone wins,” said TMTA president Jake Francis. “The students, Conestoga, the TMTA and our member companies will all benefit.”