There is a great demand for a new initiative that allows certified tradespeople to move directly from a trades certificate to the third year of a degree program, found the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT).
“It was an overwhelmingly positive response from business and industry [for] developing those skill sets within their organizations…they felt there was a gap that definitely needed to be addressed, not just now but in the future,” said Peter Lawlor, dean of the NAIT School of Trades.
Lawlor spoke during the recent Addressing Apprenticeship Barriers live web discussion organized by the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF).
The Trades to Degrees program was introduced in the 2012 fall semester through NAIT’s JR Shaw School of Business.
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Certified tradespeople can be admitted directly into the third year of the four-year Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) program.
The initial cohort is comprised mostly of NAIT instructors and members of the Alberta government who have trades certification.
The idea originally began when NAIT representatives attended the WorldSkills 2011 competition in London, England. They spent time speaking with leaders from around the world and visited institutions in several countries to see how they operated.
Lawlor said trades are seen very definitely in Europe than in the West.
“They are seen certainly as a viable option for young people to pursue careers, much different than what we get in North America where trades are seen as a second option,” he said.
“We also found that some of the companies…indicated that the people that they have on the floor that were engineers were tradespeople first. They indicated they do not hire anyone that did not have a trade first.”
Lawlor said there is definitely an interest among tradespeople to get their advanced degree. About 100 people applied for the 30 spots in the pilot program.
“We find that there is a real desire for folks that have been working on the tools to get the skills to move into leadership roles,” he said.
“We’re finding that business and industry is really looking towards that type of credential and skill set in trades people….we’ve heard that they don’t have the other side, the business side or the soft skills side, or some of the technical requirements to move into those supervisory or leadership roles.”
There are full and part time options with multiple modes of delivery. Courses are offered during the day, evenings, weekends, and online.
Lawlor said NAIT began Trades to Degrees with the BBA degree because it was an easy fit but the plan is to expand the program to include other degrees as well.
He said NAIT is in the process of completing approvals for a construction management degree.
“We think that this is probably one of the most innovative things that the province and NAIT has looked at with respect to apprenticeship in quite some time,” concluded Lawlor.
Follow Kelly Lapointe on Twitter @DCNKelly.
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