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S A T U R D A Y, D E C E M B E R 1 7, 2 0 1 6
Technical Professions
Students learn applied skills and the value of giving back to the community
The YouTube channel launched by Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC) highlights Matt Stovall’s career journey. A journeyperson carpenter from Nekaneet First Nation, Stovall achieved his Carpenter Journeyperson certification in 2012. He started working as a job coach/employment coordinator with the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) in 2013, where he remained until June 2016. ph oto: s AtCC
Check out a new career on SATCC’s YouTube channel When it comes to choosing a career, the possibilities can seem overwhelming. Not only are there thousands of fields, but the fear of finding a job afterwards can bring added pressure. However, there are options that are tied directly to the job market, and thanks to social media sites like YouTube, the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC) is spreading that message across the province. The SATCC is an industry-led, arms-length government organization authorized to manage the apprenticeship and trade certification system in the province. Their mandate includes the development and execution of relevant, accessible, and responsive apprenticeship training and certification systems to meet the needs of employers, apprentices, journeypersons, and tradespersons in the province. In order to do this, the SATCC has four main roles: training apprentices, certifying apprentices and tradespeople, regulating trades that take on apprentices, and promoting the apprenticeship system of training to potential employees and employers. With more than 40 designated trades and sub-trades in Saskatchewan, there are many diverse careers to choose from, and more than one pathway to becoming a certified journeyperson. However, the most common way is through an apprenticeship, which is a postsecondary option just like attending university or college. What sets this path apart is the key element of employment — with other postsecondary options, individuals are training for a job that may, or may not, exist. With an apprenticeship though, people are training for a job they’re already in. Overall, apprentices spend approximately 85 per cent of their time learning on the job and the other 15 per cent of their time in technical training. Successfully completing technical training enables apprentices to advance through the apprenticeship system, level by level, until they’re ready to write the journeyperson certification exam. Alternatively, tradespeople may be eligible to challenge the journeyperson certification exam directly as trade qualifiers, depending on the number of trade
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Changing lives through applied learning
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time hours they have accumulated. With such a wide variety of paths available, the SATCC has become creative in how it provides resources to the public. One avenue is the YouTube Channel “Sask Apprenticeship,” which was started in 2013, and features videos of real apprentices and journeypersons who are succeeding in their fields and want to share their experiences. “These videos give viewers a glimpse of what working in a trade actually looks like and reinforce that if you like working with your hands and creatively solving problems, the skilled trades might be a great fit for you.” says Chelsea Coupal, SATCC director of Communications and Marketing. While the content is open to everyone, the key reason for uploading the videos is to encourage people who are thinking about a career in the skilled trades. To do this, the majority of videos feature young journeypersons who are beginning to experience success in their careers. As Coupal says, “We want to show that with the skilled trades, there are many different career paths. You might become a business owner, an instructor or a job coach. We also want to demonstrate what the skilled trades offer: good pay, respect and the chance to perform satisfying, hands-on work.” However, that isn’t all, as the channel also features videos of em-
ployers who hire and train apprentices. These are employers who are also advocates of the apprenticeship system, and who believe that training apprentices is beneficial to their company. This allows business owners to share their own stories about the benefits of hiring and training apprentices, which Coupal says can have a trickledown effect. “The goal is to attract other employers to the apprenticeship system, and there’s no better way to do that than by showcasing businesses that are enthusiastic about it.” Videos that appear on the channel are also promoted via Facebook and Twitter, and are used as advertisements on City Saskatchewan, a local cable television channel. Each video is part of a larger plan to build a diverse workforce, and in particular to encourage women and Aboriginal people to consider the skilled trades as a career option. YouTube is part of this as it allows the SATCC to build a virtual library of videos that are always available, and show real people — employers, apprentices, and new journeypersons — embracing the skilled trades. To learn more about apprenticeship or a career in the skilled trades, visit www.saskapprenticeship.ca, like the SATCC on Facebook (Sask Apprenticeship), follow them on Twitter (@SKApprentice), or view their YouTube Channel (Sask Apprenticeship).
Building five houses over five years for Habitat for Humanity Prince Albert may seem like a big commitment, but it’s something Saskatchewan Polytechnic was eager to agree to. Now that work has begun on the second house, it’s clear Sask Polytech carpentry faculty and students are committed to providing families with homes. “Our carpentry students work diligently over their short, sevenweek program to build a home for those in need,” says John Erickson, acting dean, School of Construction. “This unique partnership provides students with a tangible, applied learning opportunity to frame and finish the exterior of a house.” This hands-on learning experience is the result of a memorandum of agreement signed in February 2015 between Sask Polytech and Habitat for Humanity Prince Albert, which outlines the goal of having carpentry students build five houses in five years. Under this plan, students are responsible for framing houses and installing the windows, exterior doors, siding, soffits and shingles. “At the end of their program, students have work-integrated learning experience and also can feel good about giving back to their community,” says Erickson. According to the agreement, Habitat for Humanity provides the funds for materials and is responsible for finishing the interior, aided by the families that will live in the house. Each house will be
Sask Polytech’s School of Construction in Prince Albert has partnered with Habitat for Humanity to build five houses for five families in five years. p hot o: sAsk p olyt e Ch
built at the Sask Polytech Prince Albert campus and later moved to an available lot within the city. “The faculty and students have been amazing to work with,” says Jan Adamson, Habitat for Humanity executive director. “These homes are of modest design, but hold a huge amount of hope and go a long way in changing the lives of our recipient families.” According to Adamson, Habitat partner families participate in a rigorous application process and volunteer their time in lieu of a traditional down payment. Partner families are also able to purchase the home through a zero-interest mortgage.
This arTicle was provided by saskaTchewan polyTech for commercial purposes.
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Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s trades and technician graduates are in demand and you can be a part of it. You will learn in well-equipped facilities from supportive instructors with real-world experience. Our programs are designed with input from industry so when you graduate, you are ready to succeed. Check out these schools to find the program that is right for you. • • • •
School of Construction School of Mining, Energy and Manufacturing School of Natural Resources and Built Environment School of Transportation
To learn more and apply, visit saskpolytech.ca. REG00246311_1_1