FIND AN EMPLOYER

How do I find an employer in the designated trades?  Some TIPS from Apprentices

To find an employer in a designated trade, you can try the same methods as finding an employer in any occupation. Here are some helpful suggestions:

Check out the CANS Youth Apprenticeship Program.  This program matches interested youth with employers in the construction and road-building industries.  Participants receive workplace safety training, paid summer work placements and three Co-Op credits upon completion.  Many participants will also be eligible to become youth apprentices and start training towards a career in the trades. To find out if this program is being offered at your school, contact the Youth Apprenticeship Coordinator or the HR Development Coordinator at the Construction Association of Nova Scotia. 

Search the following employment sites to identify job opportunitites.

Career Beacon
www.careerbeacon.com

Nova Scotia Job Shop
www.novascotiajobshop.ca

National Job Bank
www.jobbank.gc.ca

Jobs Press
www.jobspress.com

Workopolis
www.workopolis.com

Also check out Service Canada's Labour Market Information site to identify employers in your area.

• Ask friends and family if they can identify someone looking to hire people in the trade that you are interested in. Tell them that you have a keen interest in learning and working in a specific designated skilled trade, and have many resumes available to pass out.

• Go to your local Career Resource Centre, school co-operative education teacher or school guidance counselor.. If you are unsure of where to find the Career Resource Centre, look in the Yellow Pages under 'careers' and 'employment'. If you are not attending school, ask about work placement programs in the designated skilled trades. If you are chosen to participate in a work placement program, it is a great opportunity to demonstrate to an employer that you would be a good employee.

• Visit your local Human Resource and Skill Development Centre and/or visit the website at www.ns.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca. You can find more information in the Government Blue Pages under 'employment'.

• Approach employers at local and/or school career fairs and ask if they are hiring. Be specific about what kind of opportunity you are looking for and why you are interested in a particular trade.

• Enroll in a cooperative education course at your school. Your co-op teacher will organize your volunteer placement. This is a great opportunity to develop a relationship with an employer who might be willing to hire you as a youth apprentice.

Contact the Sector Councils who work with employers in their preferred trade.

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