STARTING ON THE TOOLS Jessica Sidhu is the Lead Project Coordinator with Kinetic Construction. She got her start in the construction industry when she was 17 years old. Jessica took an ACE IT (now “Youth Train in Trades”) program during secondary school. Youth Train in Trades is a dual credit program earning students secondary school

Earlier this month our Skills Ready Career Catalyst and Ultimate Skills Coach, Jimmy Roney, took some time out of the office to volunteer at a youth leadership camp named Ultimate Peace. Ultimate Peace was established by a group of dedicated volunteers who saw an opportunity to bring two groups of young people together, who would

WHY WELDING? Trevor Chown’s interest in welding began in high school during his time in a shop class. Upon learning the basics of welding, Trevor realized it came quite naturally to him. Observing this same attribute, Trevor’s shop teacher approached him with the idea of taking a South Island Partnership (SIP) Dual Credit Program with

Showcase Events are produced in partnership with schools and educators to bring industry professionals into shop classes. These events provide a fantastic opportunity for students to pitch their design-build process and demonstrate their skills. On February 13th the Construction Ready team held a showcase event with the students of Gulf Islands Secondary School’s TASK (Trades

Educators from across the province are taking big steps to help young people get ready for life after high school. We first met Stephen Macinnis at Salmon Arm Secondary when we met his Explore-a-Trades sampler class. Mr. Macinnis started his career in the trades and when an injury cut his time on site short, he

Jenna Mitchell, 3rd year electrical apprentice, says “This career path has already changed my life”. The trades have allowed her to push herself to see what she can accomplish. During the past 4 years working in electrical, Jenna has learned a lot about herself, stating “It’s been such a positive experience. I’ve grown and learned

Angelo moved to Vancouver Island in the summer of 2016 from a small town and high school with no available shop classes. As a student at Belmont Senior Secondary, Angelo was excited he had the opportunity to take a shop class. He enrolled in Auto Mechanics and found an interest in hands-on, physical work. He

Showcase Events are produced in partnership with schools and educators to bring industry professionals into shop classes. These events provide a great opportunity for students to pitch their design-build process and demonstrate their skills. Construction Ready Showcase Events are one of our favourite ways to connect industry members with youth and the teachers that help

LABOURING LEADS TO APPRENTICING The Construction Ready team had a chance to talk with Theresa Henriksen, Human Resources Manager at Kinetic Construction, to discuss how youth interested in the trades can prepare to enter the work force. Theresa believes that labouring can lead to apprenticeship and that young people interested in the trades should do

We met with Cori Coutts, HR / Safety Manager for Knappett Projects Inc., to discuss the kinds of activities that a young worker can expect during their first day on the job and why they look to hire young people who are looking to start a career in construction. CHECK OUT WHAT SHE HAS TO

Earlier this month the team caught up with Andrew Chapman, project manager for NZ Builders to talk about his advice for young people looking to enter the construction trades.  His key piece of advice was to have a good attitude.  If you want to know more about what it means to have a good attitude,

On June 1st, the Construction Ready team collaborated with the South Island Partnership and Camosun College to host a Summer Opportunities Event for secondary students interested in careers in the trades. In total, seventy students from across Victoria and surrounding areas, had the opportunity to participate in practice interview sessions to gain experience responding to