The Sarnia-Lambton Industrial Educational Cooperative (IEC), a 20-member cooperative, was born out of the imagination and foresight of three executives from Suncor, NOVA and Lambton College in the early 1990s, having two distinct objectives:
1.To improve the competitiveness of the Sarnia-Lambton industrial community through high-quality cost-effective and timely training; educational programs and services.
2.To ensure a sustainable supply of well trained and qualified workers to meet a forecasted shortage of aging baby boomers in process operations, skilled maintenance and instrumentation trades, not only in Sarnia-Lambton but across Ontario.
In 2001, a major milestone occurred when the IEC members teamed up with local construction contractors and building trades to form a unique Sarnia-Lambton Safety Partnership Model with a vision of “Zero incidents by choice”.
Today, the IEC facilitates the growth of an injury-free culture by developing training standards; developing and delivery products and services; accrediting and auditing competencies; and maintaining training records with the engagement of experts from the unique partnership – Education, Labour, Contractors and Industry.