It’s well known that youth are finding it harder and harder to get a career or to get into their choice industry. But the strange irony is that many career paths, such as the trades, are lacking skilled workers.
“There’s a lot of certified trades that are coming to a point where there’s going to be a gap in that skill set,” says Robert Fletcher, Deltera’s Safety Manager. “There’s not enough new recruits getting in and a lot of the old seasoned journeymen are retiring.”
Tridel saw this gap and decided to take action with the
B.O.L.T. – Building Opportunities for Life Today – initiative. It was developed in 2009 in partnership with the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto and the Children’s Aid Foundation. B.O.L.T., through its numerous programs, presents the construction industry to youth as a viable career choice, shows them what’s it’s really like working on site, and can even provide financial assistance to help them get through post secondary.
“It opened my eyes to a different world in the construction industry,” says Dane Hall, who participated in the Day of Discovery in 2008. “I never knew I would be interested in construction management. I learned a lot about different specific trades in building a high-rise building.”
The Day of Discovery is a full-day annual event that offers 90 youth, over 16 years of age, a crash course in construction careers. The youth meet and hear from a number of industry professionals, tour a site and learn about education and training options. Those that want more on-the-job exposure can then apply for two weeks of job shadowing.
“They get to meet all the trades on a project,” says Joanne Bin, Executive Director of B.O.L.T.. “From the supers to the handymen. The youth then get a good handle of what these trades do.”
“They’re actually on a construction site,” says Fletcher. “They’re speaking to the supers who tell them that this opportunity was never available to them. They couldn’t buy their way on to a construction site when they were in school.”
And that sort of exposure allows youth to realize the many meaningful careers in trades and how they may fit in. Dane says he was considering working in trades, but never in construction management. He’s now studying construction engineering and technology at George Brown College and is “loving it”.
To assist with ever rising tuition fees,
B.O.L.T. also offers scholarships through George Brown and soon, through Humber College. B.O.L.T. is supported through fundraising events, such as the annual golf tournament and the furniture warehouse sale starting this Thursday, and private donations.
“This is just one more facet of demonstrating our leadership,” says Fletcher. “But it does have its rewards. One day they could be running their own companies and being a partner with Tridel. Providing these opportunities is so important.”
“It’s our social and corporate responsibility,” says Bin. “The youth can gain real skills when the program is over. They then have real, employable and marketable skills to contribute to the workforce and that’s so necessary.”
The Warehouse Sale runs from November 24 to 26 and features very affordable prices on gently used furniture from Tridel model suites. All proceeds support
B.O.L.T. programs and scholarships. For more information about the sale, visit the B.O.L.T. website:
www.boltonline.org
