Skills Ready

What is it like to have support from the industry when considering a career in the trades? Check out a clip from this week's 'Industry Interview' with tradeswomen Amanda and Rebekah!

This week’s ‘Industry Interview’ features tradeswomen Amanda Steiner and Rebekah Ray, who are carving out a name for themselves after getting into the trades tr...ades while attending Salmon Secondary and participating in a Skills Ready’s Showcase Event in 2017. . . . The pair entered the trades following high school and have big plans for their future. Amanda’s father operates a local construction company in Salmon Arm, while her cousin Rebekah grew up on a farm. Both factors have contributed to the duo deciding that a career in construction was the right route to take. . . . I never really wanted to go to school and be a doctor or something like that, said Ray. I always wanted to do something hands on. . . . For Amanda, the passion for the work she is doing has grown quickly. . . . I definitely didn’t know [what I wanted to do out of high school], said Steiner. It was something that the more I did it, the more I fell in love with it, the more I got into the planning aspect of it. Seeing a house come together start to finish, that’s when I really started to actually enjoy it and fully get into it. . . . The pair reflected on the Skills Ready Showcase event back in 2017 and the influence it played on their decision to enter the trades. Coordinated by Skills Ready Career Catalyst, Dave Lovisa, Showcase events bring together employers and participants to encourage dialogue around employment and bridge the gap between students interested in the trades and the industry workforce. . . . Read more: http://ow.ly/jgyj50Cm6B4 | Skills Ready See more

Lest we forget. #RemembranceDay #ThankYou

Evan Dyck loves a challenge. The challenge, for example, of figuring out how to make certain situations work, which is why he enjoys being an electrician. The path to becoming a Red Seal electrician was a challenge all unto itself for Evan. I have a learning disability, and it makes it hard to do school and take tests, said Evan. I did my first year of schooling, and I failed, and then I didn’t go back. For the next six years, Evan focused on work-based training instead. ...Some of the projects he contributed to include a few grocery stores in the Fraser Valley, apartment buildings and hotels, and the Agricultural Centre of Excellence at the University of the Fraser Valley. In 2018, he’d gained enough work-based hours and decided to challenge the electrician certification. When a tradesperson has significant work experience in a trade but has never been certified in Canada, they can apply to challenge the certification and write the exam. But Evan thought it would be impossible to pass the exam with his learning challenges. His dad, Rudy Dyckalso an electrician and president of Powerpoint Electrical Contractorsconnected with Michelle Anderlini, Manager, Apprenticeship Completions at Industry Training Authority (ITA) to see what supports were available to help Evan overcome his learning barriers... Read Evan's Success Story: https://bit.ly/2IlLPoG Industry Training Authority - Youth | Construction Foundation of British Columbia

Have you had a chance to watch this week's 'Industry Interviews' video with Summerland Secondary School educators Charles Lay and Nick Kast? All three were involved in Summerland’s recent hosting of a Skills Ready Showcase event, intended to connect students with potential employers from industry. Check out the full interview below.