A company in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island is expanding its headcount as it fortifies its manufacturing of pre-engineered single-family and multifamily homes.

To accomplish this, IGV Housing is cooperating with Synergy Foundation, North Island College and WorkBC to expand local training and employment in the city through the Green Building Foundations & Manufacturing training program.

The program equips local workers with skills and safety certifications for jobs in the home manufacturing industry, including at IGV Housing. 

The second cohort of the program just started in May. The first cohort involved 15 trainees, and 12 were hired by IGV Housing as full-time production operators. Three others were hired elsewhere.

The benefits of Port Alberni

IGV has been operating at 4000 Stamp Ave. There, it runs a 300,000-sq.-ft. manufacturing space on the 23-acre site of a former sawmill. 

James Broadhead, COO of IGV Build Systems, told RENX that Port Alberni had two main attractions as their homebase. "The facility that we have is state of the art (and it) would have cost five, if not eight times more to try and build something like that in Vancouver."

Secondly, Port Alberni has the type of workers they require. "These are people that are deeply entrenched within the community," Broadhead said. "They've got strong manufacturing-based experience. They understand working in environments that require precision and physical-based work."

The forestry sector has been in decline putting many skilled, experienced people out of work in town. "We saw alignment in terms of where we're going,” Broadhead added. 

Among the challenges have been the indefinite curtailment of Western Forest Products’ Alberni Pacific Division and layoffs connected to San Group’s Port Alberni operations.

Several participants in the first cohort of the training program were displaced sawmill workers, older workers or people who had previously been required to work away from the city. The program is helping workers move into full-time roles while supporting the skilled workforce needed as IGV Housing grows its Port Alberni facility. 

IGV Housing has grown from 12 to 45 employees since last year and the second cohort will add another 15 workers to the team. 

Company manufactures pre-engineered houses and multiplexes 

The company manufactures homes, designed and assembled through a hybrid construction system, including single family, duplexes and multiplexes. It is in the process of developing a solution for multifamily buildings up to six storeys. This involves producing pre-engineered building components, including SmartCore units, volumetric panel systems and building packages. 

Broadhead said their products improve construction certainty and efficiency for developers. "An example would be our SmartCore," he said. "It's a fully-manufactured, volumetric unit that incorporates all the plumbing, the electrical, the kitchen and the bathroom in a single space or pod."

Additionally, the company assembles the finishing materials for the home including flooring, siding, lighting and roofing components.

Broadhead said the result is a complete building system; every component specified, engineered, manufactured and packed into a coordinated delivery that arrives site-ready. “We pack all of those elements efficiently into a full kit of parts that can be delivered to a site to construct an entire building,” he said.

He said the process allows them to reduce waste and find efficiencies in the fabrication process. 

Among their clients are developers and builders working on infill projects or “gentle density.” They don’t produce highrise construction.

Training program provides win-win scenario in Port Alberni

“Programs like this help ensure workers can access the training and certifications they need to participate in emerging green economy opportunities close to home,” said Tai Uhlmann, senior project manager, Circular Economy at Synergy Foundation in a release. “We are proud to support a partnership that strengthens local employment pathways, builds practical skills, and contributes to more sustainable approaches to construction and manufacturing.”

Leanne Moore, continuing education program officer & community liaison, North Island College, said the collaboration and training program reflects what is possible when employers, funders and training providers come together around a shared goal. “It’s helping people build the skills and confidence to move into meaningful work in their own community.”

Working together with the college and the foundation has helped generate a workforce for the company, while providing a boost to the local economy, Broadhead said. 

"We were incredibly enthused by the first cohort of people that we've had come through the program, and as we continue to grow, we're really hoping to… continue that with those partners,” he said. “We're also hoping that Port Alberni can be... a model and a showcase for how advanced housing manufacturing can take place in industrial towns."