Kepreye Otrofanowei; Employment Consultant with Build ON
When it comes to beginning your life in Canada, one of the most important aspects is your career. It is possible that you may be looking for an identical career pathway as you had in your home country but this may not always be possible. This may not be possible for a number of factors some of which we have elaborated on in our previous post on alternative careers and for this reason, we recommend exploring your career options. If you are going through the process of career exploration we suggest checking out opportunities in the skilled trades as you may find exactly what appeals to you.
There are several misconceptions surrounding careers in the skilled trades and these misconceptions oftentimes deter newcomers from exploring options in this field. There can sometimes be a narrow understanding of what opportunities in the skilled trades look like and there is a misconception that opportunities in the skilled trades are limited to options in the construction sector. This is definitely not the case as the skilled trades consist of diverse opportunities and sectors like the construction, industrial, motive power and service sectors. These different sectors feature over 150 occupations that you may find appealing.
Some other major misconceptions surrounding the skilled trades is that they only offer low paying jobs, unfavorable opportunities and they are only suitable for people who could not follow a traditional education pathway. There is an incorrect assumption that pursuing a career in the skilled trades is suitable for students who did not do well in school and this, simply put, is not true. Beyond the fact that occupations that fall under the category of skilled trades can provide well-paying opportunities above the Canadian average, the skilled trades also offer a unique opportunity to earn while you learn which is a very attractive notion because it lowers your chances of accumulating debt. Trade workers may also require the use of sophisticated computer software alongside mechanical equipment in order to perform their jobs so there is a degree of essential skills and mental acuity that is required of certain occupations in the skilled trades.
In summary, as a newcomer to Canada you should consider a career in the skilled trades because these jobs/opportunities are in high demand and you:
- get the opportunity to be paid while you learn
- have the opportunity to be actively engaged in work where you can most likely see the direct results of your action
- have a great opportunity to express your creative outlet
- have the opportunity to move around different provinces with a red seal
- can come across well-paying opportunities above the Canadian average
- have the opportunity to be self-employed
- are guaranteed job satisfaction/security
There are several incentives available to you if you are interested in a career in the trades and for more information and help with career exploration, you can contact your employment consultant.