Carol de la Franier wanted her son to go to university.
Her master’s degree in civil engineering has served her well in her career, and she thought her son would have more success in life if he had a university degree.
So when Sam came to her three years ago and told her he wanted to be a carpenter, she was worried.
When de la Franier was Sam’s age, people who chose trades programs over university were the ones “who couldn’t make it.”
“I have a lot of uncles who were in that trade and they always struggled; they struggled their whole lives,” de la Franier said.
TRADE STIGMAS
The idea that jobs like carpentry and plumbing are low status is an obstacle career counsellors continue to face, according to New Westminster Secondary School career programs coordinator Karen Crosby.
This year, four students backed out of NWSS’s apprenticeship program, and while it’s not unusual for students to change their minds, it is unusual for students to admit it was because their parents didn’t approve, Crosby said.
“The students did the interview, they wanted to take the program – and then the parents said no,” she said.
And parents probably have more to do with students choosing university over the trades than she knows, Crosby admitted.
But if it’s true, if parents are discouraging their kids from enrolling in trades programs, the province could face a shortage of skilled workers in the coming years.
By 2025, there are expected to be up to one million vacant positions in B.C. – almost half of these jobs will require technical or trades training, according to the Industry Training Authority, the provincial body that oversees apprenticeships.
In the province’s construction sector alone, experts predict there will be a shortage of about 3,300 workers by 2021 as more than 40,000 skilled workers are expected to retire over the next decade, according to a report by BuildForce Canada.
To keep up with this increased need for skilled workers, one out of every eight high school students would need to follow a career path into construction, Crosby said.
“And currently we have about one in 80 to 85 students that moves into construction; so it’s a huge gap,” she added.
Crosby estimates right now only about three to five per cent of NWSS students choose to train for a construction job while the majority of remaining students go to university.
“It is one of those weird things where our culture sort of hasn’t caught up with the changing economy. The economy is changing a lot and people don’t necessarily get it,” she added.
ON-THE-JOB TRAINING
This year, 55 students took part in an apprenticeship, and next year, there are already 35 students confirmed. (This is near capacity as the professional chef program won’t be offered in 2017-18.)
The high school offers three different apprenticeship courses for students in Grade 11 or 12 – carpentry, plumbing and professional chef (the chef course is only offered every other year to keep the classes full). Students are also allowed to enrol in off-campus apprenticeships if the on-campus options don’t appeal to them.
There are three main components in an apprenticeship course – class time (at the high school and BCIT), workshop time and on-the-job training. The latter is offered by a company of the student’s choosing.
Every student graduates with their Level 1 certification and are often offered full-time employment with a sponsor company. If they accept, they continue the apprenticeship program. The goal is to eventually earn their Red Seal certification, the Canadian standard of excellence for skilled trades.
MOULDING SKILLED WORKERS
Sponsoring high school students is a relatively new endeavour for Basil Restoration Ltd., a full-service renovation company that does the bulk of its work in the Royal City.
“It was our method of finding a way to get young people into the program and trained,” said general manager Miles Wittig.
With the current development boom in the Lower Mainland, Wittig said it’s difficult to find and keep skilled carpenters to work on renovation projects instead of multi-family developments.
“These companies offer these young kids a lot more money just to come work and that’s all they do, and when the job is over, that’s it, they’re all gone. There’s no commitment, nothing,” he said.
So Basil Restoration decided it was in its best interest to partner with New Westminster Secondary School to get the skilled workers it needed.
“As a sponsor, we are responsible for providing the training by experienced Red Seal carpenters, and experienced carpenters,” Wittig said.
Every year, Basil gives its apprentices time off to attend BCIT to “level up.” It’s up to them whether they continue training for their Red Seal, but Wittig’s advice is always the same: get it done.
“It’s about getting the experience, taking the courses; getting the experience, taking the courses,” he said.
A CHANGE OF HEART
It took a lot of convincing before de la Franier would let Sam enrol in a carpentry apprenticeship.
“I always was worried that he would be bored with it (carpentry) after a while and it wouldn’t be challenging enough,” she said. “He has great aptitude about learning things and picking things up quickly, and then he gets bored and wants to move on and learn something else.”
But Sam didn’t get bored. He loved it.
FINDING SUCCESS
Sam is two years into his carpentry apprenticeship with Basil Restoration and halfway to getting his Red Seal certificate.
While his mom may have had reservations about him forgoing university, he knew an apprenticeship program was the right fit for him. It was a good opportunity to get a jump on his career and it provides flexibility that suits Sam just fine. (He admits this might not be what he wants to do forever, but that’s why he chose an apprenticeship. It offered flexibility, something he felt a traditional post-secondary education at a university might not.)
Typically, once a worker gets their Red Seal, they only stay on a few more years, according to Wittig. The longest-working Red Seal carpenter on staff at Basil has been with the company for about eight years.
Once Sam gets his Red Seal certificate, he’ll have to decide if he’ll stay on at Basil, but until then both he and his mom are happy with the way things turned out.
“I think that more parents need to hear that it’s OK for their kids to do the trades, and it’s not forever but it’s such a good program and if they don’t know what they want to do, this is a good start,” de la Franier said. “I want to try and dispel some of the myths around the trades being kind of secondary. They stand on their own right up there.”
So you want to become a tradesperson?
Who can enrol in an apprenticeship?
The program is open to students in Grade 11 or 12. Students are only eligible for one year as the Ministry of Education will only fund one apprenticeship program per student while they attend high school. Students can enrol in (or continue) an apprenticeship program once they finish high school, which would be sponsored by an employer.
When do students apply?
Students apply the year before they want to be in the program (either Grade 10 or 11). The first round of applications and interviews take place in January. After that, interviews continue as students come forward until the program is full.
What does the school offer for younger students considering an apprenticeship?
Grade 10 students can enrol in the Youth Explore the Trades course. During the course, the students build an entire room – this includes carpentry, painting, electrical work, plumbing, dry walling and more. This gives them a better idea of what field interests them and want to apply for. In the upcoming 2017/18 school year, NWSS is offering a Youth Explore the Trades course for Grade 11 and 12 students, too.
Are there any admission requirements/rules?
The admission requirements vary a little between programs, according to Karen Crosby, NWSS career programs coordinator. Mainly, she and the teachers are looking for the following:
Completion of Math 10 and 11 and English 10 and 11. (If entry is competitive, the student with the higher the mark has a better chance of getting accepted.)
Reliability. Staff will check a student’s attendance record at school, but Crosby says they do sometimes accept students who have “really struggled with attending high school,” she said.
“Because the program is very work relevant and hands-on, it honours kinesthetic, practical learners in a way that many other high school classes do not. For some students, it is the first time they have enjoyed school in years.”
Where can students get more info?
Contact Karen Crosby, New Westminster Secondary School career programs coordinator, in person, by phone at 604-517-6245 or email kcrosby@sd40.bc.ca, or visit nwss.ca.
