Youths see North's need for trades
Dave Sullivan
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (May 07/01) - The North is desperate for trades workers, and young people appear to be paying attention.
"Trades don't get the kind of exposure other jobs do," said Cape Dorset teacher Kate Knight. She was in Yellowknife recently for the Skills Canada competition and job fair.
"Cape Dorset is desperate for young Inuit to get into the trades," she said, singling out shortages of oil burner mechanics, carpenters and plumbers.
Students dropped by dozens of booths set up by employers, post-secondary schools and government agencies. The fair included competitions within dozens of trades.
According to Wilifrid MacDonald, a career development officer for Nunavut's Department of Education, young people are considering trades as an option.
"Kids nowadays want to get a trade or education. Compared to 20 years ago, they now know they have to stay in school much longer.
MacDonald, a retired carpenter from Cambridge Bay.
He said today's kids "ambitious and full of questions. They want to know what's going on and are less shy than they used to be."
His colleague, Carla St. Louis, of Iqaluit, said today's students are using the vast amount information now available on the Internet. Her and MacDonald spend a lot of time promoting trades training throughout Nunavut.
