News

When Geoff Higginson talks about the trowel trades, his eyes light up.

“The beautiful tile mosaics, stone and brick work you see in Greece are millennia old,” beams Higginson, an instructor at the Trowel Trades Training Association in Surrey. In fact, mosaics are one of the earliest forms of art that still exist today.

President of the Bricklayers Local 2, Higginson started out his working life with a bachelor of arts degree and a job in the recreation field.[…]

Never give up, ask as many questions as you want, and don’t be afraid of the oxy-fuel torch.

That’s some of the sage advice that instructors Dana Stevens, Raven Hillenbrand and Corinne Hagen have for their students at the UA Piping Industry College of B.C.

“We all make mistakes sometimes, but it’s how you come back from that mistake that creates your success,” says Stevens, who teaches welding foundations.[…]

Sarah Raby is athletic and hands-on. She grew up playing soccer and was always at her dad’s side when it was time to get in the shop and build something new.

“I grew up going to the family cabin and was always building things with my dad. I’ve always been hands-on and knew I wanted to work somewhere that would allow me to do so.”[…]

The Teamsters Local 213 mobile training unit is on the road and helping union members upgrade their training close to home or on their job sites.

The Joint Training School’s training trailer is equipped with three simulators fitted with controls, views of what might be seen through the windshields, and motion platforms that mimic the vibrations, dips and tips of rock trucks, excavators, and small-wheel loaders.[…]

Surrey siblings Eisley and Jasmine McKay are following in their mother’s footsteps – or rather, her steel-toe boots.

And it’s easy to see why.

“They witnessed firsthand what having a career that you truly enjoy offers, the ability to not only survive but thrive if you are willing to work hard,” says mom Raven Hillenbrand. “They saw the financial rewards that a trade brings.”[…]

Despite the shortage of workers, many of the most motivated candidates experience barriers to employment in the trades.

In 2019, the Workplace Alternative Trades Training (WATT) program was created to reduce those barriers as a new pathway to apprenticeships in the electrical trades. The program received a special visit from Mitzi Dean, Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, and MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin on Aug.[…]

The first-ever all-female cohort has completed the Heavy Equipment Operator training program, a partnership between the YWCA, and the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 115.

“With the booming construction industry in B.C. we’re looking for opportunities for people who don’t traditionally work in the field,” said Jeff Gorham, training administrator for the Operating Engineers Local 115 Training Association.[…]

It’s the trades equivalent of a four-year bachelor’s degree!

The Red Seal program is the interprovincial standard of excellence in the skilled trades. It is the highest standard of training in the country.

What Red Seal training provides

Along with excellence in training, the Red Seal is also your ticket to taking advantage of opportunities around the country.[…]