It doesn’t matter where the lessons are learned, as long as they are learned.
As editor of Service Truck Magazine, I try to present the best available information to allow fleets, manufacturers, and governments to achieve their own workaround.
We all know that within the service truck segment, there is a huge concern about a lack of technicians and that as older techs retire, there aren’t enough new ones to replace them.
My son is enjoying his first few months learning the trade of becoming a truck technician an opportunity he learned about only because of my editor position within the trucking media sector.
There’s a disconnect between what the students think about future professions, high schools, post-secondary schools, and all the job sectors.
When I was back in journalism school, I was being prodded by the journalism department to go the newspaper route and didn’t know about all of the magazines out there that I could work for.
I have a decent enough radio voice and know about television, but back then I did not hear about any career opportunities except for those in the newspaper field.
Perhaps there was a snob appeal going on at that time for myself and fellow journalism students. I may have heard it and ignored it.Or maybe the school thought I was bet- ter suited for newspaper reporting—I don’t know—but I certainly have evolved in my understanding of the magazine sector.
Within the trade sector, the Government of the Province of Ontario, Canada, has come up with a solution to try and interest more people in entering the many hard-working professions.
Just like in all 50 states in the Union, Ontario and the rest of Canada’s provinces and territories also offer a wide array of occupations and career opportunities.
Case in point. The Ontario government has officially designated 144 different occupations as skilled trades, which cover a wide swath of industries, including mechanical, electrical, automotive, manufacturing, and much more.
Although the province now seems to have a great plan, it seems to have hedged its bet ever so slightly.
It suggests that “if your child is interest- ed in pursuing a career in the trades, Skills Ontario has provided valuable tips to assist them in navigating this path and acquir- ing the necessary skills and experiences to thrive in the industry.
”Uh… sure. But this precludes the kid from having an actual interest in going into the trades.Some kids do grow up wanting to emu- late their parents, who are already involved in a trade.
Mom’s an electrician? I want to be an electrician, too! Dad does HVAC? I want to do that!
And the same holds for all the tech- nicians in the automotive industry—for trucks and cars.
But, even still, we are losing the battle to have enough people interested in the trades. It’s why we need to interest people who have never even thought about a career in the trades.
The Skills Ontario programs, we should point out, are for kids in Grades 7 and 8.
When I was in Grades 7 and 8, we boys learned “shop”, which was woodworking. The girls learned “home economics”, which was cooking. I was lousy at woodworking.Besides, my teacher was missing a part of his index finger. I didn’t want to lose a finger, so I developed and maintained a healthy (or unhealthy) fear of power tools— especially the table saw.I should add that I saw my father lose part of a finger to a table saw, too.I may likely have been the only one in my class emotionally scarred to never want to go into the trades, but let’s just say that clumsy people did not have a positive effect on me.
Although… I was also nearly two years younger than everyone in my class.Maybe I was just immature.
Anyhow, if we instead hope that the Skills Ontario program is offered to every- one as a choice—with positive role models abound—there’s a chance that we could get more kids interested in trades.
And, because it does seem like a doable way to do that, maybe your local or state government could come up with something similar. Hint-hint.Let’s take a look at Ontario’s playbook.
Elementary, Dr. WatsonAs the subheading name implies, this is specific to elementary/junior high school kids in grades 7 and 8.
Kids can be enrolled in a Skills Ontario week-long summer camp at www.com/camp. These camps will offer the young person different hands-on activities in skilled trades and technology. The idea is to give students (even though it’s a summer course) the opportunity to see and experience differing career paths while also allowing them to develop essential workplace soft skills.
Alternatively, Grade 7 and 8 students may also participate in an Elementary Career Awareness Workshop. These workshops provide the students with hands-on experience and a feel of the trade sectors of construction, industrial, motive power, and service, as well as technology.
And because we already know there is a bias in place whereby people who are not involved in the skilled trades think that the trades are only for those not eligible for university or college, Skills Ontario wants parents to be able to check the skilled trades out online. The assumption is that parents are probably too busy to see things hands-on, such as via a summer camp or time-consuming workshop, so instead offer them the opportunity to use a Skills Ontario app to learn about the skilled trades. The idea is to allow parents to use the app with their kids to review an aptitude test that will help align their interests with a suitable skilled trade career. The app also provides links to trade organizations, employment information, and scholarship opportunities.
High School Confidential
This section is for high school students.
Students in Grades 11 and 12 can explore apprenticeship options in skilled trade careers by consulting their guidance counselor or the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) coordinator at their school.
Students can enroll in trades courses offered at their school and plan to participate in the Skills Ontario Com- petition – Secondary Division.• A wealth of online resources is avail able for students. Skills Ontario hasa YouTube channel featuring a diverse library of videos showcasing past events and discussing skilled trade careers with professionals.
Volunteering with Skills Ontario provides students with valuable experience, knowledge, and the opportunity to build relationships that could potentially lead to job opportunities. To inquire about volunteer opportunities, email: info@skillsontario.com.
The College of Hard Knocks
For those seeking education after high school, the Province of Ontario has some post-secondary options.• College students considering a career in skilled trades and technologies should consult with their academic advisor to explore the available pro- grams at their institution. At my particular college, there weren’t a lot of trade opportunities—but there was one to learn how to be a mortician. I’m calling it a trade more than an “art”. Regardless, plenty of community colleges provide opportunities to learn skilled trades and technologies.
- Students who are currently enrolled in a skilled trade or technology pro- gram can participate in the Skills On- tario Competition – Post-Secondary Division, which provides a platform that showcases skills and connects with potential employers.
- Networking has proven to be instru- mental in helping many post- secondary students secure job op- portunities throughout their careers after graduating.
- Skills Ontario offers a podcast called ‘Skills Ontario Trades C Tech Talk Podcast.’ Hosted by Dan Cardinal, the podcast covers over 140 skilled trade and technology careers, as well as topics such as post-secondary educa- tion, apprenticeships, wages, and more.
Although this section pretty much only talks to those considering a path via college, what about university students?
Indeed, those already in a university program are not likely to seek entrance into a trade—but why not?
I have a BA degree in political science, which qualifies me to do… absolutely nothing. It’s why I went back to college and learned journalism.
If I was smart and wasn’t totally afraid of losing a finger or two (like my shop teacher) to a power tool, I might have enjoyed auto mechanics. I used to subscribe to Hot Rod magazine et al. Perhaps all those students wondering what to do with a BA in what- ever should take a look at what Skills Ontario or your state’s equivalent—has to offer.
We know there are a lot of students who are lost unsure of the career path they should follow. Service Truck Magazine applauds those who join the military, the police, the fire department, or medical vehicle services but guess what? All of those sectors need to have someone smart enough to be able to keep those vehicles on the road.
And the same holds for heavy-duty trucks of all kinds. If things keep going as we suspect they might, truck technicians will have to know about electricity, hydro- gen, or solar energy technologies.
For those who are interested in further education opportunities in the US and Canada, Service Truck Magazine has a whole lot of information online on our website: www.servicetruckmagazine.com/resources/ education-and-training
