Getting young people to complete their apprenticeships is job one for a new advisor who has been appointed to look after skilled trades programs in the Tri-Cities.
Paul Zelinski, an employment counsellor whose last post was trades program facilitator at Douglas College, is one of 15 apprenticeship advisors across B.C. appointed by the Industry Training Authority (ITA) to boost the number of certifications in skilled labour jobs especially in high-demand areas. He will meet with employers, educators and apprentices in the Tri-Cities, Maple Ridge and Mission over the next several months to find out what the barriers are to certification and what can be done to remove them.
"We're going to specifically work with those individuals [who are struggling to complete their apprenticeships] and identify their concerns and help them remove barriers to move forward," said Zelinski, who took part in an event last Thursday to launch the initiative.
In the North Fraser region, there are approximately 2,500 apprentices and 500 employer sponsors with jobs in hairdressing, food and beverage, construction and the metal trades. Many start out as School District 43 students in ACE IT technical training programs and Secondary School Apprenticeship Program work-based training but, for a variety of reasons, don't always complete their programs once they get out of high school.
According to the ITA, the number of certifications is expected to plateau, an after-effect of the 2008 recession, and then grow over the next several years. Among the top high demand jobs, according to the ITA, are carpenters, heavy equipment operators, electricians, welders, steamfitters, pipe fitters, plumbers and bakers.
