Trades Discovery for Women - British Columbia Institute of TechnologyCarpentry Education in CanadaCarpentry and Woodworking Programs -- Community College Programs
PROGRAM WEBSITE
Trades Discovery for Women - British Columbia Institute of Technology British Columbia Institute of Technology's (BCIT's) Trades Discovery for Women is a 20-week, full-time Associate Certificate Program designed to provide students with primarily 'practical and relevant training' in upwards of 20 trades in more than 7 industries. The latter includes Aviation, Construction, Electrical/Electronics, Manufacturing, Marine, Mechanical, and Transportation. The Program will feature guest speakers discussing numerous topics, including apprenticeship, communication skills, employment equity, harassment, unions Workers Compensation Board (WCB), and 3 'weeks of job shadowing, partnering education with industry and the community.' By the Program's completion, students will have been 'trained and certified in' HILTI Powder Actuated Tool Operator, Lift Truck Operator License (forklift training), WCB Occupation First Aid Level One, and Workplace Hazardous Material Information System (WHMIS). Students will be 'evaluated throughout the program' and will be required to pass each class with at least '70% or S; depending on the grade mode of the individual course.' The Program is intended as a general introduction to industry and not as a means to gain employment or proficiency in any particular craft or industry. Graduates will, however, be prepared 'to successfully enter and complete trades/technical training or seek apprenticeship.' An apprenticeship is a method of learning a trade through a combination of periods of in-class, technical/theoretical education and periods of paid, on-the-job training. During the latter portions of an apprenticeship, the student (apprentice) will work, in an indentured capacity, under the direction of a certified, journeyperson member of the trade one is learning. A journeyperson is an individual who has earned the standards of practice of his/her trade, typically via the completion of an apprenticeship. Graduates of the Trades Discovery for Women may be eligible for advanced credits towards an apprenticeship. The advantage of completing an apprenticeship is not only that one acquires in-depth knowledge and skills in a trade but also that, within the latter, one's career opportunities and salary potential are normally increased. Furthermore, once an individual has obtained journeyperson status, he/she may be eligible to have his/her certification as such endorsed by the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program (Red Seal). The latter enables the journeyperson to practice his/her trade throughout Canada, provided the trade is designated in that locale, without undergoing further examinations. Moreover, persons who attain journeyperson status may, after accruing several years of work experience beyond an apprenticeship, become supervisors, trainers, and/or educators of their respective trades. To be eligible for admission to the Trades Discovery for Women program, applicants must have a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) or successfully complete a BCIT pre-test for English and Mathematics. Furthermore, before being accepted, applicants are required to 'attend an information session that includes aptitude testing in: Reading Comprehension, Mathematics and Mechanical Reasoning.' Commencing in August 2007, applicants will no longer need to write the final examinations for Grade 12 Mathematics and Science courses for admission to programs that require those classes. However, final exam marks will still be needed for Grade 12 Communications, English, and Professional Communications courses.
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