Red Seal Program

It's commitment by both sides, but really it's, It's throughout the whole system as it were, we're not filling the pipeline fast enough.

And I think I truly believe we have to, we're really competing with other Red Seal industry type traits.

And we're not trying to say is how do we do better from an infancy stage, junior high school, high school, how do we get there and be at the same

standing point as the rest of society? you know,

So I love that there's options and your career does change over time.

But before we kind of move on from this particular topic, any other points you guys want to bring up as a panel as it relates to this particular side of it?

When we were discussing earlier, Jeff brought up the concept about, it has been talked about the Red Seal concept or the concept of being able to actually, if there is long waiting lists at schools, should we as an industry be looking at changing the training a little or doing more of say what Red River are doing where you can go to school and you can make a and earning at the same time while you're in school.

Because from an industry perspective, I think that's a really big barrier too.

It's a little bit of a risk on the company part because that candidate is now very marketable.

It's like an apprentice getting a Red Seal in Canada.

As soon as they get their Red Seal, they're very marketable because all of a sudden now they can sign off on those trucks going down the road.

we definitely have seen the older generation, you know, frustrated with trying to pass on their knowledge and the younger generation frustrated with trying to get it.

And some old guy being too crusty, you know, so it's, it's just, it's like the generational gap between the, between the two like groups.

Otherwise, I can't like put those guys to work safely.

Right.

You see that problem less in the US because they're not as regulated as, you know, they don't have that Red Seal program.

Today I'm sitting down with Anna Lary.

Anna is a Red Seal and BC Master Electrician who started her apprenticeship in 1997.

She taught in the Electrical Apprenticeship Program at BCIT and currently leads the ConnectHer Hub, a program that's connected over 2,000 people in the trades.

A while back, Anna asked me a question I couldn't stop thinking about, and I've been quoting it in talks ever since.

But people are often not treated in a way that's respectful.

And they talk with their feet.

So in BC, so I'm Canadian, in British Columbia, actually in Canada, I should put this in Canada, in our top 15 Red Seal trades, we only have a completion rate of 47% for men and a completion rate of 34% for women.

Wow.