Success stories: Nina
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Success stories: Nina - Transcript
Nina Widmer, Apprentice, Bricklayer
I knew I wasn't up for university.
My father actually got me started in the masonry industry. He's a stonemason, so he said: "Hey, why don't you come to work with me and try it out?" and ever since then I absolutely love it.
I came in with zero experience having never touched a brick, so if I can do it, anybody can do it, right?
Basically, I was at the top of my class all three years.
I was able to use the apprenticeship grants to buy myself all the tools that I needed for the trade. I was able to go through school because of all the grants without any debt. It was amazing!
You can be self-employed after you have your (Red Seal) ticket; you can travel across Canada with your Red Seal ticket; you can absolutely support a family, support yourself and make a great living.
I love being able to work with my hands every day and step back at the end of the day and see what I've created, and I know that what I've created is going to last a lifetime.
Nina’s story: Apprentice Bricklayer
Nina knows the value of an apprenticeship first-hand.
Her father’s love of working with stone inspired Nina to give brick masonry a try, and the 26-year-old Manitoba resident hasn’t looked back. “I shocked myself! I came in with zero experience having never touched a brick… and basically was at the top of my class all three years. It was definitely one of those things where it would have been a shame if I hadn’t gone (to trade school).” After paying her way through school and buying the necessary tools for her trade with the support of the Government of Canada apprenticeship grants, Nina is proudly graduating without any debt and is well on her way to obtaining her Red Seal ticket.
“You can be self-employed after you have your (Red Seal) ticket, you can travel across Canada and you can work for a good wage all across Canada, which is amazing.”
Nina feels that she has truly found her passion, regardless of the fact that her chosen skilled trade is one traditionally male-dominated. “I don’t think gender should dictate what you can and can’t do. If you’re a good worker, you get the job done, and you work together, they don’t care who you are. You can support a family, support yourself and make a great living from the trades.”
Nina’s long term goal is to own her own masonry business, and winning silver in Brick Masonry at the 2014 Canadian National Skills Competition is more evidence that she is definitely on the right track. “I love the creative aspect of masonry, I love being able to work with my hands every day and being able to step back at the end of the day and know that what I’ve created is going to last a lifetime.”
The Apprenticeship Incentive Grant is a grant of $1,000 offered by the Government of Canada to registered apprentices who have completed their first and/or second year or level (or equivalent) of an apprenticeship program in a designated Red Seal trade. Through this grant, apprentices can receive up to $2,000.
The second grant, worth $2,000, is known as the Apprenticeship Completion Grant. It is available to registered apprentices who have completed their apprenticeship training and obtained their journeyperson certification in a designated Red Seal trade.
For more information on Apprentice Incentive and Completion Grants, as well as the new Canada Apprentice Loan available in January 2015, visit Canada.ca/Apprentice.
Learn more about support for apprentices
Find more videos on the ESDC YouTube about apprenticeship training and skills support from the Government of Canada.
Visit Support for apprentices for information on more programs available to help apprentices complete their training and for employers to hire and train apprentices.
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