Payson Jacklin and Aden Oderkirk are pursuing their dream jobs in the Trades sector
Some of us take a very long time to decide where we want to go in life. Not these guys — Payson Jacklin and Aden Oderkirk are laser-focused on the trades, and their benefitting from a provincial initiative to give students with that interest a head start.
The two Oxford boys were recognized by the Provincial Minister of Labour, Skills & Immigration, the Hon. Nolan Young, and Cumberland South MLA & Minister of Natural Resources, the Hon. Tory Rushton, as two of the 83 successful applicants to the Construction Association of Nova Scotia (CANS) Building Futures for Youth Program. The programme is a partnership between CANS, the Nova Scotia Department of Education-English Program Services, the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency; the Nova Scotia Community College and local school boards. The programme provides Grade 10 & 11 students with an opportunity to explore careers in the construction industry, with co-op placements, training, and certification.
Payson and Aden were among the 120 applicants to the programme, and having both selected to participate from the same small town is notable. They were two of only six students accepted from all of Cumberland County.
The programme gives students with a strong desire to pursue a career in trades with a head-start:
- Earn up to 3 high school credits
- Earn up to 300 apprenticeship hours from the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency
- Gain 5-7 weeks of paid work experience
- Complete safety training and certification specific to the construction industry
- Access NSCC scholarship opportunities
- Build lasting connections with local companies
- Gain valuable knowledge to make more informed career decisions
Payson, who says he wants to retire by the time he’s 40, is looking at going into the electrical field, with an interest in offshore wind power: “They make the most and they give you the most adrenaline.”
Aden is leaning toward plumbing or carpentry, though he’s open to other possibilities.
MLA Tory Rushton noted that Cumberland County has three wind power projects on the table at the moment, including Higgins’ Mountain near Folly Lake. As for why it was important to present these letters to Payson and Aden in Oxford, Rushton says: “There’s a few other kids from Cumberland County, but it just bears recognition. This is where I started a career, in the trades, and it’s great to see the youth involved and really having the Minister of Labour here and pushing it through the school system as well. It bears conversation with other ministers and something we can push on in the future.”
Minister Nolan Young says “by 2030 or 2032, we’re going to need about 8,000 to 12,000 trades people.” He congratulated the students for taking advantage of the “tremendous opportunities that are out there….it’s an important, rewarding career in the trades.” Minister Young, who earned his Red Seal certification as a steam fitter, is former instructor at NSCC Shelburne, says he’s “super excited as a tradesperson that more people are getting interested.”
DJ MacLean is an Industry Training Consultant with the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency. She says it’s important that the trades be promoted as an employment option for students in the school system starting at the grade nine level:
“Even though trades is post-secondary, a lot of people don’t understand that. So when they’re going through the school system and they’re trying to determine what route, what avenue should I look at, I think there’s a lost opportunity there for the school system to really push that O2 and co-op can really make a difference to a lot of kids to explore what trades may provide to them, as well as keeping them in the communities and in Nova Scotia.”
“I think that was where the gap was for us. The school board did a really great job of coming in and supporting the students. They (…) really took lead and worked with the kids to put their applications in... The resources weren’t here at the schools, so the school board came in with a substitute teacher, a retired teacher to (…) support them through that and identified all of the amazing opportunities they were going to get for being accepted into this program.”
“It’s bigger than just co-op. Not only do they get the three credits towards their high school diploma, but one of the biggest hurdles for all students is connecting to the industry. And this program allows them that opportunity.”
MacLean says while the industry association, the province and the regional school boards are promoting the apprenticeship programme, that last leg of communication — at the school level, to the parents and students, is where there seems to be a gap.
Payson’s mother, Heather Jacklin, credits MacLean for connecting her son with the programme: “I want parents to start asking about it. And the school is the place that they’re supposed to be getting this information from. And parents aren’t aware that these programs exist. So the school needs to do better at getting that information…she knows the program, so she went in and did a little bit of fighting. And that’s really what opened up opportunities for these two boys to go into the program.”
More Information:
Building Futures for Youth — Construction Association of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency
 Building Futures for Youth Program){kind=link}