TRAINING UPDATE

Careers Days

At a recent meeting, representatives of building trades unions debriefed on their experiences at the recent Futurebuilding Conference attended by 14,200 school students from the Greater Toronto Area. One of the concerns has been the problem of these events being treated as “job fairs” when they are actually career fairs. The difference is that there is no effort to recruit apprentices, what is being done presenting information and hands-on experiences to get young people to start thinking about careers in construction.

One of the proposals was to limit such shows in future to Grade 7 and 8 students, who are not yet looking for jobs but are considering the courses they should take in high school to prepare themselves for whatever career they might want to pursue. In addition, it is widely felt that the time to get young people interested in construction and apprenticeship is around age 12 or 13.

Many at the meeting are responsible for representing their trades at several of these types of events all over the province. They report almost endless requests to participate in Careers Days at high schools. And to participate in co-op programs. The high schools are under constant pressure to increase career awareness for their students, to make their programs more “realistic,” and to deal with increasing numbers of students who, in previous decades, would have left school.

Under the circumstances, it more than understandable that they’re looking for help from groups, including construction unions, who can provide a connection for their students to this so-called “real world.” But the construction unions are not having difficulties recruiting. Participation in such events is not an advantage to them and may have the unintended effect of creating unrealistic expectations.

In a recent survey asking which high school courses potential Construction Craft Worker apprentices should take, I stated that we prefer apprentices to have actual, paid work experience to courses in Experiential Learning. Elsewhere I have stated our age 18 requirement and our preference for applicants to be in their twenties, as well as our requirement of work experience and drivers licences. But what we’re asking for is something high schools really can’t do much about.

Comments? Email jmclaren@506tc.org