Tina Gus, 55, is following in the footsteps of her father as she trades her catering apron for a toolbelt. A member of the Tseshaht First Nation (c̓išaaʔatḥ), Tina is one of two women in the first Green Building Foundations and Manufacturing training program cohort who went on to work at IGV Housing as a Production Operator.
Tina spent many years working as a cook and caterer.
“As a cook the opportunities to advance past minimum wage are slim and with catering, the competition is high,” she told Ha-Shilth-Sa, noting how she cooked for Port Alberni’s Orange Shirt Day event on Sept. 30. “My sister and I had the opportunity to catch the 2025 truth and reconciliation walk for 1,500 people. It was an honor, however the cost of food had risen so much since COVID that profits are still somewhat slim for catering.”
And then she heard about a training opportunity and enrolled in the first cohort of the Green Building Foundations & Manufacturing program at Port Alberni’s North Island College Campus.
The program brings together IGV Housing, North Island College and Synergy Foundation to deliver a fully funded skills-building opportunity that delivers trained workers to Port Alberni’s new IGV Housing plant and other construction businesses like it.
IGV Housing manufactures pre-engineered building components, including SmartCore units, volumetric wall panel systems, and coordinated building packages, from its advanced manufacturing facility in Port Alberni. Using a hybrid construction model through IGV Build Systems (a division of IGV Housing), factory-built components are combined with efficient on-site assembly to deliver homes with greater speed, cost certainty, and more precision than traditional construction methods.
Located at the former San Group wood manufacturing site next to the paper mill in central Port Alberni, IGV Housing is a facility where new homes are being built, or parts of homes.
“The company manufactures full-scale homes, including single family, duplexes, multiplexes, and is developing a solution for multi-family buildings up to six storeys,” said a spokesperson for IGV Housing.
The company uses a systemized hybrid construction model that combines factory-built components with on-site assembly.
“IGV Housing is still in the development phase but will be coming out with more news in the coming months on units and deployment,” continued the spokesperson.
The finished housing components can be delivered across British Columbia.
“IGV Housing is working to make homes easier to build and possible to own,” said the spokesperson.
The facility is hiring skilled workers and the program at North Island College is already running its second cohort of 15 students in training.
According to Tina, the Green Building and Manufacturing Program she took involved five weeks of intense training, “including the crane operation, forklift, and construction components. I was one of two women enrolled in the course and the only woman that came to work for the IGV factory with the rest of my classmates, who were all men,” she told Ha-Shilth-Sa.
She said that being a woman in this industry is not as tough as it sounds.
“My coworkers all treat me with respect, and we all work together well,” Tina added. “Communication and confidence to succeed are important traits in any workplace. We all have different skills, and we are all learning from each other often.”
The program is fully funded and students gain practical, hands-on skills, safety certifications, and real workplace experience in green construction and advanced manufacturing. Further, the graduates gain a direct pathway into stable, full-time employment.
“The first cohort saw all 15 participants graduate and move into full-time roles, 12 of them as production operators with IGV Housing, demonstrating that the program offers not just training, but a genuine bridge to long-term career opportunity in a growing industry,” said the IGV spokesperson.
The second cohort of the program is now in session and expected to wrap up later this month.
“Working for IGV Housing has given me routine and has given me a chance to experience something other than cooking,” said Tina. “IGV is a great place to work with many different skill levels and plenty of opportunities. I highly recommend the Green Building and Manufacturing Program to anyone interested in working in a factory environment.”
According to the company, IGV Housing's model is designed to help more homes get built across B.C., connecting supply, delivery capability, and long-term housing access to support stronger communities.
“The Port Alberni facility is also creating meaningful local employment, with a particular focus on workers navigating transitions out of the forestry sector, including Indigenous community members,” stated the company.
If you’re interested in learning more about IGV Housing in Port Alberni, contact info@IGVHousing.com