There are countless job and career options available to young people upon graduation. While many begin preliminary research while still in school, the options can be overwhelming and many are left asking, how can I plan for a career, if I don’t know it exists or what it might be like?
Over the course of the summer, two inspired Vancouver Island youth sought answers in terms of understanding their options for future careers within the construction industry. With a yearning to learn and explore, the two successfully applied for a community grant to hold a series of workshops for themselves and peers to explore careers within the construction industry. With initial funding in place and a little help from their moms, the two boys reached out to the Construction Foundation of BC in search of mentorship and support on their quest for knowledge as they launched their project, aptly named, Building Bros.
The Building Bros project turned into a 4-week summer camp for 10 youth between the ages of 8 to 11 in Victoria, BC in which they explored the construction areas of sheet metal, electrical, woodworking, and engineering. After many fun and educational days together, all of the mentees and mentors involved in this program felt this was a remarkable success. Participants were eager to soak in all of the knowledge and exposure to the industry, while the mentors experienced significant satisfaction ushering in the next generation of tradespeople to the industry. The Construction Foundation of BC was able to support this initiative through several existing programs (Skill Ready, Indigenous Skills, WATT) and important partnerships within the industry (Western Joint Electrical Training Society, Sheet Metal Workers International Association Local 276).
These young future builders have broadened their understanding of career options within the construction industry, but you don’t have to be a youth in today’s world to consider a career in the skilled trades. In fact, with the current shortage of skilled workers across all industries in Canada and the forecast for this to get substantially worse, there has never been a better time to embark on an exciting career within the industry. For this reason, there has been and will continue to be exciting programs and activities designed to expand the construction workforce.
The Construction Foundation of BC is committed to pursuing this mission to build the next generation of skilled tradespeople. If you or anyone you know is interesting in learning more about the skilled trades, please visit, www.constructionfoundation.ca.
