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Category: Trades

  • What Is a Red Seal and Why Is It Important?

    What Is a Red Seal and Why Is It Important?

    What is the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program?

    The Red Seal program was established to provide skilled workers with greater mobility across Canada. Through the program, certified journeypersons are able to obtain a Red Seal endorsement on their Certificate of Qualification by successfully completing, where applicable, an interprovincial standards examination. The program encourages standardization of provincial and territorial apprenticeship training and certification programs. The Red Seal allows qualified persons to practice their respective occupation in any province or territory in Canada where it is designated, without having to attempt further examinations. To date, there are forty-five occupations included in the Interprovincial Red Seal Program.

    What other benefits come from enrolling in a “Red Seal” Trade Apprenticeship?

    You have probably heard the radio commercials from the Government of Canada recently about the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant program. Right now there is a very high demand for tradespeople of all varieties. This is why the Government of Canada created the Incentive Program to attract people to learn a trade.

    That’s right – you can get paid twice to learn a trade, instead of running up high tuition bills while you learn! To learn more about the Apprenticeship Incentive Grant Program, please visit the Service Canada website.

  • Why the Trades?

    Why the Trades?

    When people think about the skilled trades, several immediately spring to mind – electrician, plumber, welder, carpenter. But opportunities in the skilled trades are much more extensive. From hairstylist to cook, painter to landscaper, automotive service technician to crane operator – and so many more. Learn more about the trades.

    Why consider a career in skilled trades?
    The data is in! Canadian Apprenticeship Forum research shows that apprenticeship completers fare better than their counterparts it comes to wages, job security and employment satisfaction. When compared to non-completers and graduates of other technical programs, those who complete an apprenticeship have:

    – Better employment outcomes, both immediately and several years after being certified
    – Better earning potential – in the short and longer term
    – Higher levels of job satisfaction and job security

    Apprentices also get:

    RESPECT
    Skilled trades play an important role in our economy and our society. Think about it … skilled trades workers touch almost every aspect of our lives. They build and maintain the homes we live in and the cars we drive. They work in manufacturing, mining, oil and gas, hospitality and tourism. They build and maintain the electrical systems that power our computers and heat our houses. Canada depends on the work of skilled tradespeople working in the designated trades to keep our country working.

    OPPORTUNITY
    With hundreds of skilled trades careers to choose from, there are opportunities available to suit almost any interest. As an apprentice, you participate in a post-secondary education like no other. By combining on-the-job training and in-school learning, apprentices get the best of both worlds – certification that comes with real world experience, providing the skills to work virtually anywhere.

    Skilled tradespeople are in demand and, as the baby-boom generation retires, that demand is only going to increase. Shortages of skilled trades workers are being reported across sectors and across Canada, and the competition to attract talent is growing.

    GOOD PAY
    People in skilled trades are rewarded for their efforts with good pay. In fact, according to Statistics Canada, the wage gap between workers with bachelor degrees and trade certificates is declining. Between 2000 and 2011, the average weekly wages of full-time workers aged 25 to 34 with trades certificates grew by 14%, while bachelor degree holders saw their wage growth slow to 1%. And, apprentices begin to make money right away, earning a wage from their first day at work.

  • Choosing To Work In A Trade

    Choosing To Work In A Trade

    Times have changed in the world of jobs. You might have heard from your parents or teachers that the best way to get a high-paid, reliable job is through a university education. Sometimes that still holds true. These days, however, a better choice for both men and women might be a skilled trade, where there are many opportunities for a rewarding career.

    What comes to your mind when you hear the term “trade”? Do you think of low-paid labourers, barely making enough money to pay their bills and never sure how much longer their jobs will last? Many unskilled labourers work under these conditions, but the situation is different for skilled tradespeople. They are often well-educated, with diplomas or certificates in their fields.

    Tradespeople might have as much education as university graduates. Unlike many university programs, however, training in the trades is geared specifically to learning the practical skills needed on the job. Tradespeople might be trained as carpenters, auto mechanics, electricians or any of the other trades. Through practical work and classroom studies, they learn everything they need to know to work in their trades. Another important part of the training process in the trades is an apprenticeship, in which students work together with an experienced person to learn practical skills for the job. For some trades they might also need to get an official license or certificate.

    Becoming qualified in a trade can take from one to three years of classroom education, between two and four years of apprenticeship, and two or three years of on-the-job training. Many university programs are just as long or even longer and more expensive. Graduates can also have trouble finding work in their field. In contrast, tradespeople can usually find work soon after they finish their studies and can easily pay off any loans they received for their school tuition.

    Almost anyone can become qualified to work in a trade. Most tradespeople, about 97 % in 2007, are men. However, more women are joining the trades and becoming qualified to work in carpentry, welding and other skilled trades. Possibly up to 320,000 people in Canada currently working in construction alone will be retiring in the next few years and that could open up good opportunities for both men and women. Becoming a journeyperson (someone with official qualifications in a skilled trade) could be a wise career move.

    How do you know if you could be successful in skilled trade? Natural ability and interest are important places to start. If you love to take things apart to see how they work, you might want to choose to be a mechanic or electrician. If you have a fear of heights, on the other hand, you might not want to choose the construction industry. The best way to decide whether or not a trade would suit you is to research it and to talk with people about it. Then, if you decide to pursue a trade, you’ll have a good basis for a stable and rewarding lifelong career.

  • What Does A Ship’s Agent Do?

    What Does A Ship’s Agent Do?

    Before he heads to the office, the ship agent boards the vessel as it arrives in the port. He walks up a steep gangway with people from the federal government who work for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Transport Canada. As the latter inspects the ship, the agent finds the captain and assists him as he signs various documents that are required before the ship is allowed to enter the port.

    It is the ship agent’s job to coordinate the arrival of all vessels that enter Canadian waters. He is thus a vital link between all the imports and exports that come in and out of the country.

    Once back at the office, the agent performs a variety of duties. When a ship plans to arrive, the agent gathers information about the vessel such as: how many members are on the crew and where they are each from, how much the ship weighs and when it was built, and what kind of cargo it is carrying or picking up. He then sends the information to Canadian Customs and Immigration. When Customs clears the ship, it is free to enter Canadian waters.

    However, a ship cannot enter Canadian ports until the federal public servants have inspected the entire ship and cleared it for loading or unloading its cargo. It is the ship agent’s role to coordinate with members of CFIA and Transport Canada. He also organizes – with the ship’s owners, charterers and stevedores – when and where the ship will be loaded with cargo.

    The agent must also host the captain while he and his crew are anchored in the port. He brings the captain cash for the crew to use while they are anchored and he coordinates with ship chandlers who supply the crew with groceries and other necessary supplies. He also arranges for crew members to be picked up and taken to the airport when they are ready to return home if a new crew is taking over the ship.

    The ship agent links Canadian ports to the rest of the world.

    He coordinates much of the activity that sees that items like steel, sugar and electronics arrive safely in the country’s ports while grain, canola, lentils, yellow peas, barley, wheat, oats and other products are loaded into the vessels and shipped to places all over the world.

  • Why you should Consider the Skilled Trades

    Let me start with a disclaimer: I am not a tradesperson. But I know enough to know why you should consider this kind of career.  My goal here is to help you check out the skilled trades to see if that’s an option that you would like to consider, especially if it’s something you never thought of before.

    The number and range of trades have expanded greatly in recent years: it’s not just construction, plumbing and electrical. Those are the primary careers (the foundation, if you like) but they branch out into lots of different fields: such as painters, installers (say, for hardwood floors, cabinets, home security, roofing, or even for renovations in a house); and sheet metal workers.  There are welders and furniture makers and finish carpenters. There are even HVAC technicians (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning). There are lots of jobs that aren’t as well known and should be considered when entering the trade sector.

    When there are some trades that may not interest you, consider the variety that are available. Most offer an apprenticeship once you get through school, allowing you to get the immediate experience that many others spent a lot of time searching for in order to become employable.  Apprenticeships generally involve spending time on the job site, learning from people who actually do that job, as well as in-class instruction.  While others are searching for a career, you are already gaining experience from someone who can answer your questions one-on-one.  And remember: there is no such thing as a stupid question.   You are there to learn, and they are there to help you do that, and make sure that you develop a sound body of knowledge and learn the proper and safe way to do things.

    In addition, work done by tradespeople must follow a set of rules and requirements, as per the Building Code, to be approved or inspected before it can be called complete.  Therefore, with an apprenticeship you can claim that your work fits the requirements necessary (or to a higher standard), and be known as someone who does the right job in the right way.

    Apprenticeships tend to vary in the length of time, so research helps you here if you know the career. You can also examine the job trades through the Canadian Job Bank, which helps you find occupations related to that career along with the average wage.

    I had always thought the trades were something not to be admired or respected, because many people strive for something with an “intellectual pursuit” (as in working in an office or something like that). However, I’ve come to realize that the trades are actually a highly-desired career choice, if you can complete the tasks required of you. The stereotypes of trades workers not being “smart” or “intelligent” is just wrong and misguided. They are highly respected because they can do beautiful things that you can’t.  I can’t make furniture or lay bricks in a straight line, but a skilled tradesperson can do these things and make them look wonderful as well as work the way they should.   The trades are considered reliable jobs (particularly when compared to teachers) – you can start up your own company marketing your skills and develop clients that way. More people are employed than those looking for jobs, so the trades really help you obtain all the things people from all industries strive for: hard work, steady income, and the satisfaction of a job well done.