Where are the Green Jobs?

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“Green Jobs” are all the rage, but the term is still not well defined.  On February 10th the Columbia Institute  hosted a conference on Green Jobs and Retrofits at which Ross Gentleman, Tradeworks ED, was a workshop panelist.  Largely, Tradeworks perspective is focused on entry-level labour and trades opportunities, which can be a good fit for populations that are struggling to find a good track in the work force.Tradeworks has been exploring ‘deconstruction’ and re-manufacturing.

While the workshop was nominally about training and education, the discussion ranged widely.  Wayne Peppard and Deena Boeck comprised the remainder of the panel, respectively representing perspectives from the labour movement and academic institutions.  Three ideas linger:

  • Government policy must be the catalyst and government must lead.  Demand for certain skills, and related technology, is only going to be expanded if we re-orient policy frameworks to induce change.  Procurement, education, research, regulatory and tax policies are part of the picture.
  • Public institutions are prepared to take the lead and demonstrate how lower carbon footprints can be achieved. UBC is trail blazing on several fronts and is keen to integrate sustainability into operations, into educational curricula, and into the culture of the community.
  • All jobs will be green jobs.  The idea of a green job is too narrow.   Jobs in the trades need to incorporate new green technologies as part of the trade; for example training for electricians must include solar technology.  Everyone has a role in building the green economy and it is not built on new narrowly defined ‘green technicians’, though some may evolve.

Tradeworks highlighted projects initiated by non-profits in Vancouver, projects which paired environmental goals with social goals.  The opportunity for a “Win-Win” is there.  Employing at-risk youth and others in the retrofit, deconstruction, and waste diversion initiatives compounds the potential benefits for the community at large.  Tradeworks tries to achieve these ends through Tradeworks Custom Products and Tradeworks Fab Shop.

Fab Shop in the News

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There is a great article in the Vancouver Sun featuring Yul Hawkridge, a graduate from our Fab Shop program. It is a success story of how he went from struggling with homelessness, to advancing his career as a roofer, thanks to the Fab Shop program. Read the full story on the Vancouver Sun website.

 

On a related note, Metro News featured a story on the Fab Shop about the contributions it made to the 2010 Olympics. The Shop is involved in building a legacy for BC Games and needs your help. [Read More]

Fab Shop Youth Program Needs Your Help

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The Fab Shop youth program is a unique combination of  training and work experience for at-risk youth.  The program is for youth with no significant work experience, and no Employment Insurance eligibility; young people who may have dropped out of high school or for other reasons not been able to ‘attach to the workforce’.   Rooted in the VANOC Olympic period, the program gives these young people lessons in machine tool operation and woodworking, safety, First Aid, hazardous materials handling, workplace skills, and life skills. The program then provides up to 20 weeks of work experience in a wood manufacturing operation to enable to learn new habits and refines their skills.  In the end they have credentials, recent work experience, an employment reference, support in a job search, new confidence, and the ability to challenge the level one Carpentry apprenticeship test, if they have demonstrated the aptitude.

The program is transformational for many of the participants.  It provides focus and support for them to reorient their lives.

Government supports the program in part, but the program relies heavily on private donations and corporate support.  RONA Foundation is now a key sponsor and we thank them for stepping up.  It costs @$15k for each student’s training and wage subsidy.  If you, your business or family are in a position to help support the Fab Shop program, we’d welcome your help.  Tradeworks is a registered charity and donations on-line are welcome.   For more info: the fab shop

If you can direct business to the Fab Shop, that would be great too.  Thanks and have a most rewarding holiday season.

 

 

Just Getting into the Workforce

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fabshop graduation ceremony

Peter Stevens performing at the graduation ceremony.

Back in May our fifth cohort from the Fabshop completed its 26 week program.  This group was sponsored by Service Canada, and for good reason,  as 7 of the 12 who completed the program have found work in the trades since May.

17 youth, mostly from the Downtown Eastside area, joined the Fabshop program back in November 2010. They were given classroom training at the beginning and slowly moved towards more hands on work. While the focus is carpentry, it is used more as a means to teach these youth life skills and to remove employability barriers. The basic math skills required for construction work are transferable to any number of other work focuses.

Being a social enterprise, this operation is funded substantially via work contracts. This group largely worked for B.C. Hydro, providing quality wood products for Bunsen Lake Park, including picnic tables, information signs, outhouses and a boat house. Most of the work is done in their shop, but on occasion they would travel out in the community and do on site work; this was done mainly for B.C. Housing projects.

Some of the graduating students found employment before the program was even completed, and most have found work since. The ones that haven’t have still gained valuable life skills and will be a positive force within their communities.  None had had stable employment previously.

The graduation event included a hoop dance by Peter Stevens, one of our trainees, and a lot of the participant’s family members also attended the ceremony.

The next program will hopefully be starting late this coming month or two, depending on funding and construction contracts.

Tradeworks at RONA

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Tradeworks FabShop has an array of beautiful outdoor furniture on sale at two RONA stores in Greater Vancouver. RONA is a proud supporter of the FabShop program and has agreed to carry some of our recent cedar and pine furniture at their retail stores.  These were items we initially manufactured for a commercial customer.

Grandview Highway and North Vancouver stores are stocking several items and taking special orders.  All made of BC woods, at our social enterprise in East Vancouver.  The items include chairs, benches, wooden saw horses, and planters.

The FabShop trains and employs at-risk youth seeking to move into the workforce.

2010 Games Banners – at the Flag Shop

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The last inventory of Vancouver’s 2010 Games street banners are now on sale at the Flag Shop.  The banners are a great gift and memento of the 2010 Vancouver Games. These beautiful banners were donated by the City of Vancouver and are being used to raise funds for Tradeworks legacy ‘Fab Shop’.

Many designs hung on the streets of Vancouver

The banners come in several styles and many are signed by VANOC CEO, John Furlong, and three Canadian Olympians.

The Flag Shop is located at 1615 Powell St. in East Vancouver – www.flagshop.com

The RONA 2010 Fabrication Shop operated for almost three years in advance of the games, producing over 11,000 items needed for the events and venues. But the special feature of this Fab Shop was that it integrated a training and employment program for at-risk populations.  The employment program was very successful and Tradeworks has agreed to take over the facility and project as a ‘legacy’ of the games.  It now operates as a unique social enterprise sustained through a blend of sales revenues, fund-raising revenues, and government contributions.  www.thefabshop.ca

Banners on Sale

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Tradeworks is selling a selection of Vancouver 2010 street banners to raise funds for ‘The Fab Shop’, a legacy training and employment program for at-risk youth, based on the RONA 2010 Fabrication Shop that ran for more than two years prior to the Games.  Each banner is a piece of history and they make great gifts.

These banners were on display throughout the city during the 2010 Games and there are several designs.  Many sets are signed by John Furlong and Olympic athletes, which make them extra special collectibles.  Signed banners are accompanied by a letter of authenticity.

Banners can be purchased online at the www.vancouver2010.com/store.  (Check under ‘memorabilia’ if it is not up on the front page.)  There you can get a complete outline of styles, pairings and prices.

We thank the City of Vancouver for donating these banners.

Fab Shop supplies new BC Hydro Board Table

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BC Hydro’s boardroom has a new table built at the Tradeworks Fab Shop.  BC Hydro is committed to supporting the new social enterprise and training program and the first order placed with the Fab Shop was for this new table. And the octagonal maple veneered table has now been installed.

Tradeworks has received great feedback that the new furniture was well regarded by directors when the BC Hydro board met earlier this month.

The Fab Shop is capable of producing a wide array of products, up to and including custom furnishings of this kind.  The table reflects high quality mill work and assembly.

Primarily, the Fab Shop is planning to provide training and employment opportunities to at-risk youth.  The 2010 games legacy project is set to launch formally in October. The project is based on the RONA 2010 Fabrication Shop that operated in the run-up to the winter games.  The staff team includes highly skilled carpenters who can undertake more complex design and finishing work, as well as supervise the trainees.

The Fab Shop project is being structured as a social enterprise that will provide services in the marketplace to clients such as BC Hydro.  The work generated for trainees is the key bridging experience for them, as people who have little or no employment history and need to develop their workplace skills.  Recruitment for new participants will start in October 2010.

The Fab Shop is also keen to talk to other prospective clients.