Nanaimo high school students got a chance to pull the levers of industry, so to speak, at a showcase event for Vancouver Island University trades and tech.
The annual event provides opportunities for Grades 11 and 12 students to explore careers ranging from hair styling to welding and even get their hands on the controls of heavy machinery.
On Thursday, May 1, 32 students were at VIU’s heavy equipment operators program training area in Timberlands, south of Nanaimo, for 'Heavy Metal Rocks' where they climbed in the cabs of articulated loaders, backhoes, graders, log loaders, excavators, heavy duty paving equipment, dump trucks and equipment operation simulators in the B.C. Road Builders' RoadShow simulator trailer.
Rob Gowan-Smith, coordinator of career options with Nanaimo-Ladysmith Public Schools's career technical centre, said last week's event was done in co-operation with Qualicum school district, VIU and industry partners.
“We’re at mid camp right now and we’ve spent the last two days doing safety training and panel discussions with industry and now we’re at the heavy equipment operators program location for VIU, popularly known as the pit," he said.
Gowan-Smith said the event is an opportunity for the students to get hands-on experience with heavy duty equipment, and some of the students hope to segue into jobs and even careers as heavy duty equipment operators.
The school district’s career technical centre also partners with VIU’s youth explore trades sampler program, which allows students to pursue interest in a variety of trades. After completing the program, students can move on to further trades training and apprenticeships programs.
Nanaimo District Secondary School Grade 11 students McKenzie Kearns and Piper Faux had their first experience operating a large Caterpillar excavator.
“I’m very interested in heavy duty mechanics like working on these kinds of machines,” Kearns said. “I’m mainly interested in carpentry because I love to be able to be creative and this is just another amazing experience that we get to do along with the trades sampler.”
Faux said she also loves carpentry and would like to build her own house, so learning to operate heavy equipment could come in handy.
“I just love these big machines,” Faux said. “I think it’s so fun to practise and expand my skill set … There’s nothing I’d rather do with my Thursday – I would be in bio right now writing a test.”
An estimated 5,140 new heavy equipment operators will be needed across B.C. over the next decade, according to the B.C. Labour Market Outlook.
Trades and technology occupations remain among the top projected job openings in the province, said Glynis Steen, dean of VIU’s Faculty of Trades and Applied Technology, in a press release, and noted that the university offers trades programs at its Nanaimo, Cowichan and Powell River campuses.
“VIU offers numerous programs that help people land careers in the trades, up-skill and even re-skill current workers,” she said.
A trades and tech showcase was hosted at VIU’s Trades Discovery Centre on Saturday, May 3, giving people a chance to try their hand at operating a mini excavator, flavour their own kettle chips, try a welding simulator, build a wood planter box or even taste liquid nitrogen ice cream, the release noted.
