Even if you don’t get involved in Trades during high school, it’s not too late! Ethan joined the Plumbing Work in Trades program after graduating from Delview Secondary School last year. He has been an apprentice with Dan-Jen Mechanical for the last five months and plans to attend BCIT to pursue his Level 1 in Red Seal Plumbing in January.
“I started my apprenticeship helping out the supervisors, handing them tools, making sure they had the right materials and generally learning the basics,” said Ethan, who passed his probationary period with flying colours. “The Work in Trades program has given me a lot of confidence – it gave me the structure to learn and I was surrounded by people who were so supportive and keen to help me.”
Ethan’s ultimate career goal is to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a firefighter. However, he knew that participating in the Plumbing Work in Trades program would give him valuable transferable experience and skills to pursue a career as a firefighter, and provide a solid back-up career path.
“I love learning new stuff, for example, I would never have known about the bare bones of an apartment building yet doing this apprenticeship has shown me that. That was amazing to me! Also, I love that I get to make decisions and figure out solutions myself.”
His advice to others thinking about a career in the Trades? “Do your research. Make sure it is the right trade for you. Plumbing has been a blessing in disguise for me.”