Skilled Trades Blog

Last week, we announced our new Introduction to Air Conditioning course, and now I get to let you know about another course coming up at the Niagara and Halton Skilled Trades Academies. In our efforts to provide as much insight into the HVAC industry as we possibly can, and to provide that training quickly, we are happy to announce the availability of our 313D Residential Air Conditioning Exam Preparation course.

We are excited to announce that we are now offering a new course at the Skilled Trades Academies to give our students and graduates a well-rounded education in the HVAC industry in Ontario. Beginning this August, we will be offering an Introduction to Air Conditioning course.

A few weeks ago, I talked about some of the obstacles that mature students face when they decide to go back to school for second career training. With the summer quickly coming to an end and September right around the corner, registration for skilled trades courses in Ontario is getting busy and classes are filling up.

I know that choosing to go back to school as an adult student is overwhelming, even if you love learning. You've been out of school for a while, and working in the real world for years (which can be very different than learning in a classroom). Luckily, if you find the right private career college offering skilled trades training, you'll be taught in a workshop with hands-on education. The decision doesn't have to be difficult.

Are you the owner or manager of a skilled trades shop, an HVAC or Gas Technician business, for example? If so, I am confident that you are already hiring licensed skilled trades professionals to ensure your business is successful. But that said, even when your employees have their Gas Technician license, there are a number of levels of qualification, as you know. Are you hiring graduates of a G3 program? G2 licensees?

Encouraging your staff to continue their education in the industry and upgrade their certifications is essential for the success of your business. You may require your G3 gas fitters to upgrade to their G2 certificate, or you may want to see your employees develop their skills toward long-term career goals that will promote their job satisfaction and increase their skills in the field. 

A few years ago, the Canadian University Survey Consortium conducted a survey and found that 56% of undergrads in Canada hold a job while completing post-secondary education, with almost 18% working more than 30 hours a week on top of their studies. It should come as no surprise that one third of working students report a negative impact on their academic performance.

If you have been out of school for years and working in a job that isn't quite doing it for you, you may be thinking of new, more rewarding career options. Of course to pursue a new career often means going back to school to get the right qualifications to be successful in your new field.

When adults start thinking about going back to school, it can be pretty intimidating. As an adult, there are barriers that seem like they are holding you back and preventing you from getting the education you need for the career you want. But the right private career college and skilled trades courses will give you the opportunity to go back to school and pursue the job you've been thinking about for years.

For high school students, school is officially out for summer; and for those already in the workforce, days are longer, the weather is better and maybe there are some dreams of upcoming vacations.

Summer isn't often the time that people think about taking classes, but summer courses have been becoming increasingly popular for those who are looking to upgrade their qualifications, start a new career in the skilled trades or even begin their post-secondary education.

Photo courtesy of CKWS Newswatch

This is the kind of program we love seeing! 

For the past 25 years, Limestone School Board in Kingston, Ontario has offered a building construction internship program to their students, and last semester, these students worked alongside skilled trades people to build homes in an area subdivision. 

When you are deciding the best course of action to pursue an education in the skilled trades in Ontario, there are a few options available. Ultimately, you need to attend some version of post-secondary schooling to qualify for a jobs in the skilled trades, but which is more appropriate: traditional college courses or a private career college?

If you attend a traditional Ontario college program for a skilled trade, you will be working toward a diploma and take a minimum of 2 years of study. Alternatively, a private career college awards a certificate and/or license upon completion, with programs that tend to be shorter and more intensive, with smaller class sizes and hands-on learning experience.

At The Skilled Trades Academies, we have many students come into our classrooms to learn the "tricks of the trade" and become licensed gas technicians. We are proud of each and every one of them and love when we get the opportunity to catch up with a graduate and learn what they're up to now.

We are always blown away by the number of grads who we see out working or who stop by to say "Hi!" One of those visitors was Anthony Milana, who attended our full-time course at our St. Catharines campus from September 2008 to February 2009 and graduated fully licensed with his G3 and G2 certificates. He is now working at Mr. Furnace in St. Catharines.