Education/training

Construction trades training booming in Durham

Residential construction in Durham Region is booming and so, too, is enrolment in skilled trades training. Construction programs are among the most popular at Durham College this year, which will give apprenticeship training a further boost with a mobile shop set to hit the road this spring.

LINDA WHITE


[ 2006-11-01 ]

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“Hiring entry-level”

“The growth in our construction programs is reflective of the rapidly growing residential construction sector in Durham,” says John Woodward, principal of the Whitby campus. “Employers are hiring entry-level people because it’s cheaper to hire education than training.”

Enrolment in construction programs is up 40% over this time last year. Electrical, plumbing, gas technician and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) apprenticeships are leading the way.

For Ryan Hanske, 22, a Gas Technician 2 student, the trades made sense. “I heard a lot about older guys getting out of the trades,” he says. “I’m more of a hands-on guy than a sit-in-the-office guy. I had a lot of shop programs in high school. Teachers encouraged students to get into the trades.”


Henske’s training in natural gas, propane, installation practices and code requirements helped him land a summer job working with a company that installs heating, air conditioning and radiant flooring.

“Durham offers a variety of courses, so I have basic knowledge of welding and sheet metal, which was valuable,” he says. “HVAC ties in with a lot of other trades.”

The increase in enrolment in construction trades more than offsets the drop in manufacturing programs, which is down about 30% — reflective of a national trend. “But there is a light at the end of the tunnel,” Woodward says. “Canada is recognized as a leader in research and development … and a lot of larger companies are switching to rapid production.”

Online training at Durham College is also on the rise. Theoretical work is completed online and the practical part of study is completed through training partners. A mobile shop that can be adapted to any trade and taken to a site will enhance online learning, Woodward believes.

Enhanced online learning

“We do simulations online, but there’s nothing that replaces hands-on in skilled trades. A lot of it is feel,” he says, pointing to welding as an example. “It’s an experience you build on and keep adding to.”

About 60% of the campus’s online students live north of Sault Ste. Marie. “Students can do their theoretical work online, but the hands-on — the practical — has been a problem,” Woodward says. “We have industry, especially in remote areas, crying out for this. Employers simply can’t send their apprentices away for training … and if employers don’t hire apprentices, the system doesn’t work.”

Woodward doesn’t know of any other mobile shop in Ontario. He hopes to take it to high schools and even elementary schools to introduce the skilled trades to younger students considering their futures. “The sophistication that has happened over the years is incredible,” he says. “If students see that first hand, it might encourage them to take that path.”



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