Hands-on look at Skilled Trades: Future Building

some studnets laying bricks at the Future Buliding career fair

Some students were laying bricks. Some were cutting and installing tile on a sample floor.  Some were painting. Others were taking a test ride on skyscraper scaffolding. You might expect to see such activities in some construction sites, but all of these were happening at Future Building career expo.

Thousands of young people flooded The Careport Center in Hamilton on April 13-15, 2010 to attend Future Building: a three-day construction-only hands-on career fair organized by The Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS) and Employment Ontario. 

Future Building offered a unique experience to students to get them excited about career options in the skilled trades by allowing them ‘move the earth’, with operating engineers, ‘hammer it home’ with the carpenters, "learn to rock" with the brick and stone masons, take a ‘virtual walk’ on skyscraper scaffolding and many other activities in various construction fields.

The expo also targeted teachers, educators and the general public to develop a positive view of occupations available in Ontario’s construction industry. Adults who are interested in construction also were able to meet employers and employees in the sector, to provide them with information in specific industries.

More that 25 organizations, businesses and colleges demonstrated their works at this event. IEC’s program www.apprenticesearch.com was one of the displayers, encouraging visitors to use the website that connects apprentices and employers. Aboriginal Apprenticeship, Apprenticeship Information, Employment Hamilton, Employment Ontario, Service Canada, Young Worker Awareness were available to the students to provide information about apprenticeship, job search and workplace safety.

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