PORT ALBERNI – Thanks to North Island College (NIC) Port Alberni residents will have an opportunity to start electrical careers, without leaving Port Alberni and the West Coast this winter. Applications are now being accepted for the new 24-week Electrical Foundation program starting this February.
“This is a unique opportunity to start one of BC’s most in-demand trades,” said Cheryl O’Connell, NIC’s Dean of Trades and Technology. “By 2024, the BC Labor Market estimates BC will need 5,400 electricians to fill vacancies. We wanted to support Port Alberni students in entering those trades close to home.”
Last year, Alberni District Senior Secondary high school student Cole Haider and a classmate took the Electrical Foundation program in Campbell River, where NIC operates four levels of Electrical Apprenticeship training. The program, available to anyone wanting to prepare for work in the electrical fields, was offered to Haider as part of ACE-IT, an industry funded trades programs which gives students access to trades credentials before graduating high school.
Haider credits NIC’s Electrical Foundation program for helping him explore career opportunities and find a rewarding career. “I finished school and was on the job the following Monday,” he said. “The Electrical Foundation program taught me how to wire and install an electrical panel and do conduit work, the more I learned, the more certain I was this is the right career for me.”
In the program, students gain knowledge and skills for entry-level work electrical work. On completion, they work in the field or continue training as an apprentice electrician, working side-by-side with Red Seal certified electricians to install, assemble, test, troubleshoot and repair electrical wiring, fixtures and related equipment for commercial and residential customers.
One of those electricians, Fred Gray, owns and operates Aines & Tyler Electric Co. Ltd., full-service residential, commercial and industrial electrical company in Port Alberni that employs about a dozen staff, including two apprentice electricians. Many years ago, Gray had to leave Port Alberni for the Lower Mainland to achieve his Red Seal. “Having the foundation program here in Port Alberni is a great opportunity for local students,” he said. “There’s a big waiting list for electrical training and it’s nice to know there are more seats available in Port Alberni.”
NIC works closely with Greg Freethy, the School District 70 Career Education Coordinator to develop student opportunities. “Having the Electrical Foundation program in Port Alberni is definitely a bonus,” Freethy said. “The partnership between the school district and NIC is definitely strong and moving in the right direction with more opportunities for students to study locally.”
For more information, or to apply visit www.nic.bc.ca/trades or call 1-800-715-0914.
