Ontario Construction Report special feature
YOW Canada was established in 2001 and began designing and providing online Transportation of Dangerous Goods training. Now, an award-winning safety training provider, YOW Canada develops courses and materials to help Canadians with occupational health and safety compliance.
Marie-Chantale Perron, director, marketing and sales, says YOW established a strong footprint in the training industry with two of its flagship programs: WHMIS (Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System) and TDG (Transportation of Dangerous Goods).
“Since then, we have added in-demand programs as they arise, including Workplace Violence and Harassment and Working at Heights in Ontario (WAH) training,” she said. “We offer fully trackable, user-friendly training courses and outstanding customer support.”
She says YOW’s courses are custom built and focused to ensure the most accurate information is available to customers. “Customer input is very much valued and, over the years, has helped us streamline our training and administration tools. A great deal of time and effort goes into the products we develop and we’re proud of what we offer.”
Perron says YOW is continually looking for ways to optimize operations to better meet customers’ needs. With online training, she says, customers are provided with flexibility and convenience that makes it a preferred means of delivery for many learners. Trainees can learn at the worksite or at home, thereby saving time travelling to traditional classrooms.
Employers benefit from the flexibility and convenience that classroom training cannot offer. “YOW’s seamless training tools also enable clients to easily monitor their employees’ progress through access to a course administration site.”
With the evolving landscape in safety requirements and expectations, Perron says YOW Canada ensures all courses and training materials are up-to-date and that customers are advised of relevant regulatory changes affecting their employee training. This service, in addition to customer support and competitive pricing, she says makes YOW stand out against the rest.
Part of that responsiveness is reflected in the company’s answers for the recent demand for Working at Heights training. “YOW Canada spent about a year developing its WAH training and became the first blended-learning training provider approved by the Ontario Ministry of Labour (MOL). A first for YOW Canada, the WAH blended-learning program combines online with practical training allowing learners to attend a half-day classroom session versus spending a full day in the classroom.”
Although they are geographically located in Ottawa, Ontario, their courses are designed to meet regulatory requirements across Canada (with some exceptions).
YOW Canada has been a supporter of the North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) week for several years. The goal of NAOSH week, says Perron, is to focus attention on the importance of preventing injury and illness in the workplace, at home and in the community. “We feel it’s vital to be part of this community and promoting the importance of health and safety to employers, workers and the general public.”
YOW Canada recently received the Canadian Occupational Safety Magazine 2018 Readers’ Choice Awards for online safety training; WHMIS training; working at heights in Ontario Training; and in-class safety training. For more information, visit www.yowcanada.com.