Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 01/01) - Finding skilled workers isn't easy in a city suffering from a labour shortage. But employers are getting smart about training a new crop of tradespeople.

Contract Esthetics instructor Ginette Rozsenich, left, shows Joie de Vivre manager Joanne Clissold equipment used in the spa. - Thorunn Howatt/NNSL photo

Skills Canada NWT/NU is helping businesses find the right people for the job.

"It's all about promoting trades and technology," said Skills Canada's Allyson Stroeder. Last week the sound of blowdryers, power tools and hammers filled gymnasiums at Sir John and St. Patrick high schools during part of the 4th annual territorial Skills Competition.

"They are really passionate about what they do. And they come back and they spread the word to some of the communities," said Stroeder, explaining that apprentice competitors encourage other people to look into trades careers.

More than 1,100 people, especially school-aged youth, toured career fairs and watched events like the skills competition where apprentices, electricians, carpenters and hair stylists competed against one another in their fields.

Some employers don't want to give workers time off to participate in events like the skills competition though.

"It's a problem. What we need is to have employers looking for a long-term gain. And the long-term gain is for employers to see that the future of the workforce is in high school."

The trend has been for parents to encourage children to choose professional careers like a doctor, lawyer or teacher.

"They are not generally introduced to careers like a plumber as a great job," said Stroeder. So events like the skills competition raise awareness of the future work force.

"We are trying to tell companies if they put in a little bit of time now and a little bit of money -- and maybe your apprentice has to miss two days of work -- but the number of kids who see that competition and say 'Hey look what that guy is doing.'"

The Buffalo School of Aviation graduated 10 students from the first year of a two-year aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) program last month. Once finished school, they won't be job hunting for long.

"There's a lot of work up here. There's a real shortage right now," said chief instructor Wade Redmond, adding that the students, ranging in age from 17 to 54 years old, have all found summer work already. They are working toward a federal aircraft maintenance engineer licence.

"You used to be able to go to four years of on-the-job training but now you need to be licensed," said Redmond. Buffalo's school is open with help from the territorial government and Aurora College. When students are finished the course they can expect to make about $25 per hour.

"We didn't make as much as plumbers 10 years ago but now there's a shortage and the wages are going up," said Redmond.

When new manager Joanne Clissold moved to Joie de Vivre spa from Alberta, she realized right away that finding skilled workers was a problem.

"There always seems to be an issue with certified estheticians," she said.

There are no esthetics schools in the NWT and it's expensive to send people away for training.

"And the problem I saw here was accommodations. And how am I going to get estheticians up here if there are no accommodations?" she asked. So Clissold decided to be proactive. She and the spa owner brought the teacher to the school.

Joie de Vivre contracted Ginette Rozsenich to teach the spa's future estheticians all about the beauty business.

Rozsenich, from Calgary, has taught students from the Caribbean to Banff.

This is her second visit to Yellowknife on teaching duty. When students finish Rozsenich's program they should have a certification diploma.

Joie de Vivre asks for a one-year commitment from the students -- a bargain since the alternative would be moving away from NWT and taking time off work.

"They get training in place and then they can earn a living," said Rozsenich.