While working as a landscaper, Kayla Climenhaga often watched electricians at job sites, offering a glimpse of what she hoped would be a better future — and a bigger paycheque — for her down the road.
“Watching from the side, that obviously looked very appealing,” said Climenhaga. “And it got me really interested in getting into the the electrical field.”
Paid pre-apprenticeship program recruiting women only for the trades
Aspiring tradespeople can face lack of support, employer reluctance on apprenticeship journey
She enrolled in the construction and maintenance electrician pre-apprenticeship program at North American Trade Schools, a private trade school in London, Ont.
Climenhaga, who is 27, will graduate this week after a 30-week hands-on training program where she learned how to install everything from lights to receptacles.
While she learned all about wiring, Climenhaga feels what was missing is instruction in how to navigate the equally complicated world of securing an electrician apprenticeship. She’s been sending out resumes since early spring and made calls to electrical contracting companies, but so far hasn’t made much progress.
“We have all these hands-on skills, we get tools, we get set up for the field, but they don’t have career services,” she said. “I’ve sent resumes in, just hoping you’ll get picked.”
The school didn’t respond to a request for comment by CBC News.
During an apprenticeship, an employer hires someone new to the trade so they can learn on the job and build up the hours required to eventually become a licensed electrician. The job training is also paired with classroom instruction at a trade school. Going from an apprentice to a fully licensed journeyman electrician requires 9,000 working hours and typically takes four or five years. The apprenticeship and final certification are registered with Skilled Trades Ontario, a government agency.
Pre-apprenticeship graduates can face significant challenges when it comes to actually getting an employer to commit to taking them on as an apprentice. Climenhaga said many of her classmates are facing the same problem, especially if they don’t have an “in” with a family member or another acquaintance already working in the trades.
“It’s a big issue, and it’s definitely being talked about,” she said. “It surprised me.”
Cassidy Payne has been looking for an apprenticeship since graduating from the same trade school in May. She’s also had no luck.
Canada needs carpenters, electricians and other skilled trades — and enrolment for apprenticeships is surging
“Having the experience from the school gives me a bit of a leg up, but not a bunch,” she said. “I’ve been sending out resumes online and in person, I’ve been calling, and I haven’t gotten a single interview.”
Earlier this month, Skilled Trades Ontario announced an apprentice tool kit touting it as an online portal with all the information in one place to “simplify the apprenticeship process.”
While that may help, a lot of the onus of securing the apprenticeship falls on the shoulders of each student.
John Finan knows what it’s like to have to hustle to secure an apprenticeship. These days he owns Finan Home Service, a large contracting company with branches that do electrical, plumbing, along with heating and air conditioning. He’s also written a book about working in the trades.
However, back in the pre-Internet late 1980s, Finan had to telephone and door-knock electrical contractors, hoping to talk an electrician into taking him on as an apprentice. It took him three months of networking but eventually he got an apprenticeship.
Finan said pre-apprenticeship programs aren’t required to secure an apprenticeship and shouldn’t be considered an automatic ticket to getting one.
“The real trick for young people in getting an apprenticeship is to get out there looking for that registered apprenticeship because they’re not making money and they’re not gaining work experience,” he said.
Finan said that while there is a strong demand in the workplace for licensed electricians (called journeymen), there’s also fierce competition for apprenticeship slots, which are limited. Each apprentice has to be registered with the province and matched at a one-to-one rate with a journeyman at a specific company.
“If I have one journeyman who’s free and can be matched up with one apprentice, that’s a golden ticket for somebody,” he said.
So, how do graduates who don’t have an “in” get over that hump and convince an employer to pick their name out of the resume pile and take them on as an apprentice?
Finan said they may have to first accept a more entry-level construction industry job, maybe even one outside their trade, and do it for a while. He said this helps establish a track record of showing up on time, having a good attitude and being coachable.
“You have to get yourself into the construction ecosystem any way you can,” he said. “It comes down to the grit and the hustle. If you think you’re going to knock on five doors and somebody is going to hire you, you’re either mistaken or you got lucky.”
Richard Lyall is the president of Residential Construction Council of Ontario, an association that represents residential builders.
Lyall said there is a shortage of apprenticeships in most trades in Canada. Also he said most apprenticeships have a completion rate below 50 per cent. He’d like to see more students enter pre-apprenticeship programs much sooner, as early as high school.
“A lot of the problems we had with apprenticeships 30 years ago we’re still dealing with today,” said Lyall. He said other countries, Germany in particular, identify teens who are well suited for trades and provide them with more extensive supports in public school. By the time they graduate from high school, they’re better candidates for both jobs and learning.
“In Germany the average age of an apprentice is 19,” said Lyall. “Here they’re 29. The linkage between school and industry isn’t near where it should be.”
Climenhaga plans to keep landscaping while also reaching out to electrical contractors.
Demand for skilled trades is soaring. So what’s standing in the way of more apprenticeships?
“I’m not giving up hope,” she said. “I definitely do see myself in the future being an electrician, hopefully, and I’m still going to try to reach out to as many people as possible.”
