Work Futures for Trades
Considering a Trade?
My nephew, who's about 15, wants to become an auto mechanic. So long as the work suits him, this is probably a wise choice. He'll have a guaranteed job--newspapers are regularly printing articles on the critical shortage of Canadian trades workers.
Can it be a coincidence that a new specialized website has appeared under the auspices of BC Work Futures? Click on their link to Work Futures for Trades and Technical Occupations (or visit directly at www.handson.workfutures.bc.ca) to explore in detail vocational jobs such as auto mechanic.
An easy site to navigate, its setup is simple and looks good: clear photographs heading three columns titled Occupations, People, and Industries. To help out my nephew, I might go to Occupations and click on the alphabetical search. Then I could choose from among 111 profiles the category Automotive Service Technician and bombard the boy with startling facts about his possible future. Does he know that he could make $40,000 to $50,000 a year fixing vehicles full-time? How about the fact that these workers "often lift heavy parts.and occasionally receive minor cuts, burns, and bruises"? I wonder if he has a clue how to become an auto mechanic This site mentions the apprenticeship route (with a link to the Industry Training Authority); BC schools that offer relevant programs; and the licensing necessary to practice (including information on the Red Seal, an Interprovincial Standard Endorsement that will let him work anywhere in Canada). And I'm guessing my nephew would be happy to hear that his chosen field is expecting faster than average growth.
An added bonus on this website is the interviews with real People. The worker profiled for Automotive Service Technician is actually a woman: Vanessa Amodeo. Skimming through the 49 interviews, I discovered 13 were with women, a few of them in trades more usually populated by men-Tomiko is a drywaller, for instance, and Fara a user support technician. All of the interviewees answered questions such as What would you say to someone starting out in this career? (Vanessa said, ".get some experience before committing yourself to an apprenticeship.") and What are some of the main forces of change in the industry? ("Technology is definitely a factor," said Vanessa).
The third way to research is through Industries. My nephew would have to click on Transportation and Storage. The perspective here is much broader than for a specific occupation, but you still get a sense of the prospects for the whole sector. (Well, look at that--39,000 positions expected in the Transportation and Storage industry between 2001 and 2011.) What's unique to this section is its Day in the Life-a brave though confusing attempt to whisk you over the province at different times and glimpse activities peculiar to a sector. In Transportation and Storage, we visit Kelowna at dawn, Delta at 11 am, Sandspit in the middle of the afternoon, Richmond at 4 pm, and Vancouver at 10 in the evening. A sentence or two describes, for example, a car dealership receiving a shipment, a mechanic replacing a transmission, and a manufacturer figuring out new designs for stock cars.
My overall impression of this website is favourable but not quibble-free. In the Occupations section, a link to Job Projections is invisible-wouldn't click on and I couldn't find any other portal. The part labelled Career Paths seems unnecessary, duplicating information supplied elsewhere. And all the sidebar headings on the main page (promising tidbits about Women in Trade/Technical Occupations or Working and Learning) are "currently under development." Perhaps when my nephew, or you, pay a visit, that information will be available.
Gillian Derksen, BA, is an Employment Assistant with SCCI Project Restart Ltd, a free 17-day career planning program in Surrey. Published in The Recruit April 14, 2006.