Saltspring group looks to create, fund an apprenticeship program for island and Whistler
Ornately carved doors and pillars, custom ironwork and cabinetry, cut glass mosaics, original brass and copper fixtures – just a few of the skills that are in demand in B.C. these days, but are in danger of being lost.
A concerned group of industrial artists who say they have been abandoned by the government and let down by the school system are taking it upon themselves to ensure that their skills are passed on to the next generation.
They have created a society and are now working to put together a program to educate young people about opportunities in industrial arts, and that will one day help to fund an apprenticeship program on Saltspring Island and in Whistler in co-operation with local artisans, contractors and developers.
"We really will not have a future as a business if we don’t train our own skillset. The companies must take this responsibility upon ourselves," said Chester Ludlow, a cabinet and door maker, and the director of marketing for Klassen Artisans of Saltspring Island.
Ludlow and his associates at Klassen are spearheading the initiative, which is still in its early stages.
In the last week Ludlow has approached cable companies in Whistler and on Saltspring about a series of shows profiling local artisans. They also sent out a survey to schools and residents of Saltspring to find out if individuals and companies would support the program, and if students would be interesting in enrolling. As well, they have sounded out a number of Whistler businesses that employ artisans that provide original and custom work for homebuilding and retail.
Plans are in the works to build a 24,000 square foot centre on Saltspring for an apprenticeship program, and artisans would be able to lease space inside to teach their skills. Another centre could be built in the Whistler, says Ludlow.
"This is a huge opportunity we have to make sure that the quality of skillsets (we have) is passed on to young people, because they can continue on with them. The children who grew up in our communities will be able to afford to buy property on the islands and the mountains they were born in," he said.
Ludlow and the other artisans that are behind this project are frustrated by the way industrial arts are taught and promoted in the province. Ludlow blames an overhaul in the education system back in 1987 that promoted computer training. Although this was supposed to be an additional program, says Ludlow, it came at the expense of industrial arts classes. Now the statistics show an overall decline in the number of students taking industrial arts – 35 to 50 per cent in high school and colleges.
Those figures have been well-publicized in B.C. recently as the construction industry has voiced its concerns over the lack of skilled trades in the province, as well as the way that trades and industrial careers are perceived.
As recently as January of 2003, the B.C. government laid off 100 employees at the Industry Trades Apprenticeship program, which certified the more than 4,000 students enrolled in trades education in colleges and supervised the worksite placements of 16,500 apprentices.
With 2010 on the horizon and a housing and construction boom already in full swing across the province, developers and builders have began to wonder where they will find the thousands of qualified employees needed to handle all of the projects on the horizon.
In response to these concerns, the provincial government announced $882,000 for programs to help post-secondary institutions to eliminate their wait lists for trades training.
While the funding will help 44 programs at 11 different learning institutions, Ludlow says it will not help artisans. College-learned trades and industrial arts are two different things, he says, and college-educated carpenters loaded with theory can’t help most artisans, who are self-taught or learned their arts as apprentices. The failure to find qualified industrial artists starts in high school with the loss of programs and the reduction in enrolment, he says.
"Look at Saltspring Island as a kind of microcosm as to what’s going on," says Ludlow. "A guy I know on the island bought most of the industrial arts equipment from the high school, and it’s sitting in his shop right now. Another school said to me that it would be great if I could show up and teach the kids something, because they have this woodworking shop but nobody is using it.
"We’ve lost about 50 per cent of the young people who might be interested in industrial arts because nobody is stimulating their interest… the world you see is the world that was shown to you," said Ludlow.
In addition to building centres where apprentices can learn industrial arts, the model being created by Ludlow and its supporters includes an industrial arts apprenticeship program that would be partly funded by companies in the industry. The goal is to sponsor 50 per cent of apprentice wages for the duration of the program.
"People wonder how this resource bank will sustain itself, but what people don’t understand is the desperation that I’m in as a manufacturer. When I retire, who’s going to replace me?" asked Ludlow.
"We’re all 50 or 60 years old, and there are guys who have been carving for 40 years who see for themselves that if they don’t pass along those skills, the kids are not going to get those skills, they’re going to be gone."
Ludlow says this kind of skilled work is going to be important to the B.C. economy. While resource-based communities are worried about the quantity of raw ore and logs being shipped out of the province for processing, artisans are making value-added products at home for markets in places like Whistler and Saltspring, and that will also sell abroad.
"The world doesn’t want our raw materials, they want our finished products," said Ludlow.
"There’s a lot of this kind of work wanted in Whistler right now, but once we meet the Whistler market, we’re going to explore into Asia. There’s a demand for our work right now that we can’t keep up with."
To find out more about this program, or if you are an artisan who is interested in sponsoring or offering an apprenticeship, you can contact the group at klassenltd@uniserve.com, or visit www.klassenwoodworking.com.
