Career Options

Event introduces exceptional career paths for tomorrow's builders

The Future Building

Organized workers and employers understand that sustained prosperity in a strong Ontario requires skilled professionals committed to superior workmanship now and generations from now.


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In what work environment would you thrive? To find out, take this test by eCareerFit, the career assessment experts.

Such is the philosophy that drives the Future Building Event.

Last year, Future Building saw over 7,000 attendees from across the province turn out to the Sarnia Sports and Entertainment Centre to explore careers in construction.

This year, students will step out of their classrooms and into an arena filled with possibilities as they enter Future Building 2009 at the Garnet B Rickard Recreation Complex in Clarington, Ont., on April 7 - 9. Presented by the Ontario Construction Secretariat, in partnership with Employment Ontario, the three-day event enjoys the full support of all areas of the construction trades.

"We welcome every opportunity to represent the construction trades," says Sean Strickland, CEO of the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS). "It's important to show students, educatorsand career seekers the tremendous


opportunities to be realized in the unionized construction sector. Because in actual fact, those who want to succeed will need above- average math, literacy and problem-solving skills.

"And the truth is that educators typically don't know enough about apprenticeships and trades to show their qualified students how best to prepare for such a broad spectrum of career paths" he says.

"Future Building is an excellent forum to discover not only the opportunities to be had but also how to go about grabbing those opportunities," Strickland says.

Organizations such as the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, the Toronto Construction Association and Skills Canada will join the event to complement the 25 different skills booths to show attendees how to realistically pursue construction careers.

Organizers and exhibitors hope to spark the imaginations of the over 7,000 attendees through interaction, discussion and hands-on displays as they bring a multitude of rewarding careers to life.

Professionals from every avenue of construction are positively unanimous about their three-day commitment to answer questions while they open eyes, light imaginations and engage young learners to become the next generation of a strong, prosperous and community-spirited Ontario.

"Sometimes it's simply a matter of taking the mystery out of the trades and the processes involved to really grab onto a goal," says Garth Cochran, business manager for UA Local 463.

"I love being part of the Future Building Event and answering that question students always have: that is, 'When am I ever going to need this kind of math?' Well, I'll tell you that in the plumbing and piping trade and, in fact, in many of the trades, understanding advanced math principles will keep the equipment running smoothly and the project progressing safely - this is not a career for struggling academics," Cochran says.

Find out more online at www.futurebuilding.ca.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND FUTURE BUILDING 2009


Future Building provides valuable information to students Grade 7-12, teachers, aboriginal youth, adults considering a career change, educators and the general public about opportunities for a rewarding and satisfying future in the Ontario construction

industry.

Attendees will receive one-on-one instruction from successful professionals currently employed in the construction sector who can provide

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT:


career choices

education and training requirements

job availability

job satisfaction

These volunteers appreciate the value of hands-on exposure and help open the minds of thousands of youth as they share their personal career journeys with tomorrow's builders, employers and entrepreneurs.

Participants can enjoy a wide variety of activities; for instance, you can "move the earth" with operating engineers, "hammer it home" with the carpenters, "learn to rock" with the brick and stone masons or take a "virtual walk" on skyscraper scaffolding.

A career in the skilled construction trades may not be for everyone, but it might be for you!



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