In high school, Russell Farley was more interested in drama class than shop class.
But when he moved to Alberta from Ontario two-and-a-half years ago, he fell in love with a new artistic pursuit: woodworking. The smell of the shop, the beauty in a grain pattern, the intricate design on fine pieces – he was hooked. In Calgary, Russ got his first cabinetmaking job. Soon after, he decided to pursue an apprenticeship in hopes of getting his journeyman cabinetmakers credential.
Now training at SAIT Polytechnic, Russ, 25, plans on “getting his own bench,” a place in the shop where he can focus on fine carpentry rather than daily shophand tasks. The apprenticeship will help him achieve that goal.
It’s a practical step. For each of the four years of the apprenticeship training Russ completes, his wage goes up. The benefits of apprenticeship are clear, yet Canada’s training system doesn’t always reflect that: Only four in 10 people who enter apprenticeships in Canada finish their programs, leaving hundreds of thousands of people working in trades without that journeyman’s ticket. This month, the Canada West Foundation’s Centre for Human Capital Policy released a report called Building Blocks: Modular credentials for Canada’s trades. It lays out how Canada can retool its trades training system by shifting to a “modular, competency-based” approach.
Under the system, already in place in some countries, people are given credentials for having a certain set of skills – such as tool use and blueprint reading. These individual credentials can be “stacked” together to qualify for different trades.
We talked to Russ about the art of woodworking, his apprenticeship training experience and some of the challenges and opportunities he sees in the system.
(This interview has been edited and condensed)
How did you know you wanted to be a cabinetmaker?
“It was actually a tough decision. I was just leaving high school, I tried business for a year and wasn’t into it. I took some time off to try and figure out what I wanted to do. I started noticing how awesome wood was, how versatile it was, all the multi-uses out of it. Being able to design and build almost anything that comes to mind. From framing houses all the way to fine furniture building, there’s a broad range of things to do. That’s a big part of what drew me to woodworking, being able to do pretty much anything with it – express yourself through wood.”
What does it take to be a great cabinetmaker?
“Years of experience. There are some guys that right away, they have a knack for it. I feel pretty confident with my skills right now, but it’s definitely something you need to work at. Even after four years of school there’s a lot to learn. It’s being dedicated toward it.”
What’s one thing people might not know about woodworking? Apprenticing?
(On woodworking): “You need to understand the properties of wood. You can slap some wood together and screw and drill, but wood has so many different properties, from the different species, the different cuts of wood. There’s different grain patterns. The way you cut it out of a tree can change the way you work with it. You need to know the background of wood before you do certain applications, there’s a knowledge behind it.”
(On apprenticing): “You’ve got to be willing to work. Prove yourself and show you’re determined. I’ve got friends in trade, you can tell they didn’t really want to be there. If you’re just doing it for a job, I feel like it’s not going to last. If you’re interested in the science behind it, you want to make not just a job out of it, a career, a life choice – that’s something you’ve got to think about too.”
You’re taking months off work each year for four years to do your apprenticeship training, spending money. Do you expect to get your journeyman’s ticket? Will it be worth it?
“This is my second year of it, I absolutely love going to school. We work with better woods, better projects, more fun projects to build. I do plan on finishing my journeyman and getting my ticket. It’ll definitely be worth it, not just for the money, but the benefit of my knowledge, my skills.”
What’s the best part of your training?
“The beneficial part is all the tools and skills I learn and the fun projects we work on. Being able to take that to my work and use those skills, it’s an improvement every year. I come back every year and I feel that much more confident, that much better with my woodworking.”
The majority of people who start apprenticeship training in Canada don’t finish their programs. Some of the reasons include low wage rates, fear of failure in exams and the fact that some jobs don’t need all the skills that will be learned in an apprenticeship program. Does that surprise you?
“Absolutely. I didn’t realize the number was so low. Each year, you kind of weed out the people that don’t want to be there. It does surprise me, I thought it was at least half.”
Our report is proposing a “modular, stackable” approach to credentials. Basically, people are given credentials for having a certain set of skills – such as tool use and blueprint reading. These individual credentials can be “stacked” together to qualify for different trades.
Are you learning skills that could be useful in other trades?
“Definitely. We do an AutoCAD (computer aided design) class which is programing and design, blueprint reading. (Ed note: AutoCAD is a design program, in which you can design and make anything from a cabinet to a 3D building.) Those I could definitely take to being an electrician, a plumber. You need to be able to read blueprints. Even math, a lot of the trade is math, figuring out angles. That would be another aspect I could take to another trade. Even dealing with working with other students, a lot of times we help each other, working with other tradesmen, it gives you more of a personal skill level.”
What would you do to make your apprenticeship more beneficial to your work?
“Big thing is AutoCAD being able to visually see and understand things more. You can be told how to build something or make it, I’m a more visual hands on learning, if I could take more of that and adapt it to my workplace, that would be beneficial. They break it down really well with each term. First year basics, they don’t jam things down your throat. It’s fast paced. The course is laid out very well: three hours in class, three hours in shop. I’m so far very pleased with my training, my teachers and the curriculum.”
What’s next for you?
“Keep training. I do want to take my woodworking more into a hobby, do more of it on my own time, not just for work. I want to continue to better my skills. There’s always someone, ‘Can you build me some cabinets, can you help me redo my kitchen?’ My own shop, that’s the end game, I’d love to be my own boss. That’s the end goal after I become a journeyman, but it’s still a long ways away from that.”
Read Building Blocks: Modular credentials for Canada’s trades here.
– Jamie Gradon is Manager of Communications