It’s Apprenticeship Recognition Week in BC, recognizing the need for tradespeople in the province and the post-secondary schools who offer the training.
The College of New Caledonia offers 12 apprenticeship programs ranging from automotive to welding.
Karl Plautz is the Associate Dean of Trades and Technologies.
He says their apprentices are all over the map and contribute daily to the local, provincial and even national economies.
“They are cooking the food we eat in our favourite restaurants, they’re working at the pulp mills and they’re building and wiring the houses they are making and help contribute immensely to the economy in Prince George and as a whole in Canada.”
The hourly wage can vary depending on the apprenticeship, however, a journeyperson can earn an hourly wage between $30 and $50.
The need for skilled tradespeople in BC will reach a new high with an estimated 110,000 jobs expected to open up by 2025.
Plautz adds the time is now to get there students job ready.
“There is always a need for housing, for repair in automotive, manufacturing and the more consumers consume there is more need for tradespeople. CNC contributes to that success by training them to the most current standards.”
Some of the most high-demand trades include carpenter’s, automotive service technicians, electricians, welders and heavy-duty equipment mechanics.
CNC is also working tirelessly to up the amount of female and Indigenous students wanting to pursue a trade.
“We’ve been working with the groups within Prince George offering trades foundation and apprenticeship programs in more smaller communities for the Aboriginal groups and it’s been quite successful so this is a recent initiative and a partnership and it’s wonderful, it’s grown beyond my imagination,” added Plautz.
“As for the women, we’ve been seeing more and more of that within our trades program and our partnership programs, it’s no longer the case where it’s all the male demographic and depending on the year, we’ve seen even more than half the class being female.”
Currently, 10% of apprentices in BC are women while just over 6% of apprentices in the province are Indigenous.
An Industry Training Authority website has been launched in the province.
You can find the link by clicking here.
– with files from Brendan Pawliw, My PG Now
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