Courtesy
Officials, educators, and community representatives gather at the Lennoxville Vocational Training Centre for the inauguration of its new plumbing and heating program. Among them are LVTC Director Diane Lavers, Centre de formation professionnelle 24-Juin Director Éric Arseneault, Saint-François MNA Geneviève Hébert, and other key partners who helped bring the program to life.

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

A new plumbing and heating program is now available in Estrie thanks to a collaboration between the Lennoxville Vocational Training Centre (LVTC) and the Centre de formation professionnelle 24-Juin. The program, which officially launched in the spring of 2024, was made possible through the Government of Quebec’s Offensive formation en Construction initiative and is now being delivered in newly inaugurated facilities at LVTC.

According to LVTC Director Diane Lavers in a Feb. 10 interview, the project stemmed from discussions with Éric Arseneault, Director of the Centre de formation professionnelle 24-Juin, about addressing a gap in vocational training. “We threw the idea in the air that we would like to both give plumbing in the region,” Lavers said. Initially, the program was set to be delivered at 24-Juin, but space constraints led to its relocation to LVTC, where room was available due to the downsizing of another program.

The new facilities feature a two-level structure designed to simulate real-world plumbing installations. “They have to install a complete bathroom upstairs, bring down the piping downstairs, and even shovel the gravel,” Lavers explained. This hands-on approach ensures that students gain practical experience in a realistic setting.

The initiative was heavily supported by funding from the provincial government. “All of the money that was invested by the Minister of Education for that project allowed us to be funded for the materials we needed, the extension, and the new interior arrangements,” Lavers noted.

The first cohort of students, which includes groups from both LVTC and 24-Juin, began their training in March and April 2024 and is expected to graduate in December 2025. The program is jointly staffed by four teachers hired by both school boards, allowing for flexibility and collaboration. “Sometimes, they mix and mingle throughout the shop,” Lavers said, adding that this model aligns with the Eastern Townships School Board’s commitment to a bilingual learning environment.

With the success of the program, both LVTC and 24-Juin secured authorization from the provincial government to continue offering the training for at least the next three years. “We have the provisional authorization to offer the program for the next three years, and after that, we can request a permanent card,” Lavers said. The next group is scheduled to start in August 2025, and demand has already exceeded available spots. “The group is already filled, but this group is going to be bilingual, with as many English-speaking students as French-speaking students.”

Due to the overwhelming interest, LVTC and 24-Juin have submitted a request to the government to allow for two groups instead of one. If approved, one class would be entirely in English and the other in French. “One way or another, even if it’s for our English-speaking community, an English-speaking person will be able to do the program in the language of their choice,” Lavers confirmed.

The program comes at a critical time for the plumbing and heating industry in Estrie. A survey conducted by the two vocational training centres revealed that many local businesses are struggling to find skilled workers, forcing them to turn down contracts. “This is a major finding because it suggests that the actual demand is likely even higher,” Arseneault stated in a related release.

The initiative has received strong support from local officials. At the program’s inauguration on Feb. 10, 2025, Saint-François MNA Geneviève Hébert praised the partnership between LVTC and 24-Juin. “By training new professionals in plumbing and heating, we are directly addressing the urgent needs of an economic sector experiencing one of the most severe labour shortages,” she said.

Looking to the future, Lavers sees this project as part of a broader effort to expand English vocational training in the region. “We cover such a big territory that we have four other French school boards on our territory,” she explained. “If a program is being offered in French, it should be offered in English as well.”

This approach has already led to other successful collaborations, such as the partnership with the Centre de services scolaire des Sommets to offer a bilingual commercial and residential painting program at in Magog. “We’re starting to work on partnerships like that,” Lavers said. “The sky’s the limit.”

For now, the new plumbing and heating program at LVTC represents a step toward improving access to skilled trades training for both English and French-speaking students in Estrie. With strong demand, state-of-the-art facilities, and a bilingual teaching model, the program aims to make a lasting impact on the local workforce.