Keri, 39, put everything on hold to take care of her three kids, but when she was ready to go back to work, she decided to pursue her passion and build a career in the trades.
When Keri's youngest child started school, she was ready to rekindle an interest that reached back more than 10 years and start a career as an electrician. "After 10 years out of the workforce, this was something I knew I really wanted to do. My attitude was, let’s just try it and see!" said Keri. "I knew I liked that combination of physical work and brain-work. And as soon as I tried it, I loved it."
She knew she would need to overcome some disadvantages to pursue her new career. "I guess I would qualify as an older learner," she said. "The other people in my class were in their early 20s and 30s, or even younger." She also needed to juggle the demands of school and of her three young children.
The ITA Women in Trades Training initiative, sponsored by the Industry Training Authority (ITA), gave her the support she needed. Through the BC Construction Association, an ITA partner organization, she received paid tuition and all the supplies she needed to complete her program, including textbooks, tools and steel-toed boots. She was also given a stipend to pay for childcare costs, so that she could focus on her studies and feel confident that her kids would be cared for. “I really enjoyed school,” she said. “It was challenging but there was a big sense of accomplishment.”
Keri successfully completed her introductory training, and now she is looking forward to her apprenticeship. She’ll be getting hands-on experience and supervision from an experienced electrical journeyperson while she earns a good wage.
In the long term, she intends to earn her interprovincial Red Seal certification and become a fully qualified electrician who can work anywhere in Canada. "I want this career to last a lifetime," she said. "I'd like to get into sustainable energy such as solar and wind power. That's the generation my children are being brought up in."To download Keri's printable profile sheet, click here.
