Good demand for trades

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Looking for a way to make a good salary, get paid while training, and have a high degree of job assurance? Becoming a journeyman in one of Saskatchewan's designated trades or technologies offers a lot of advantages.

Apprenticeship and trade certification programs are available in a wide variety of ields and you can train at several schools in the province, says Phyllis Eagle-Boadway, Aboriginal student counsellor at the Palliser campus of the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (SIAST).

"Most apprenticeship programs take four years to complete, like a university degree, but you have the advantage of being able to earn a salary while you're training, and the job experience is built into the program," she says. "And there are a lot of jobs out there."

A high school diploma isn't always necessary. Students who have completed grade 10, with core courses in science and math, can apply for entrance to many apprenticeship programs.

SIAST and other schools also offer pre-employment programs to help students deficient in these subjects. "We encourage students to finish their grade 12," says Eagle-Boadway, "but we have educational equity programs for those who haven't, or for people who have been out of school for many years. We also have no-cost tutoring programs to help Aboriginal students work their way through a training program."

Similar help is also available from the Dumont Technical Institute, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology, the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College, and from regional colleges.

Government JobStart and Future Skills programs are available on many of the province's reserves and in the North.

SIAST, the province's largest training institute, has four acilities-the Wascana campus in Regina, Kelsey campus in Saskatoon, Woodland campus in Prince Albert and the Palliser campus in Moose Jaw. The Dumont Technical Institute offers skills enhancement programs throughout the province, focusing on the needs of Metis.

"We've run programs in La Ronge, Fort Qu'Appelle, Duck Lake, Regina, Saskatoon-all over the province," says Cindy Hanson, program co-ordinator at the Dumont's Regina office.

Working with the Duck Lake Metis Society, for example, students in a basic carpentry skills program recently helped develop a rodeo grounds for the community. Students took classroom instruction in workplace safety, use of tools, blueprint reading, math and literacy upgrading, and lifeskills, while working on an actual construction project.

"Completing one of these programs makes it a lot easier to get the job you need to get into a regular apprenticeship course," Hanson adds. "Essentially, we'll set up a program wherever there's a need and enough interested students to make it feasible."

Completing a pre-entrance or skills enhancement program can be advantageous, because it shows potential employers you can do the work and are serious, Hanson says. "Students have to find an employer willing to take them on as an apprentice, but the school or the government can help."

An apprenticeship program is an agreement between a person who wants to learn a skill, an employer who needs a skilled worker, and the provincial government. Apprenticeships involve periods of on-the-job training, under the supervision of an experienced tradesman,alternating with schoolto learn technical knowledge and theory.