Heavy Metal Rocks 2013 ‘job site’ at Inland Concrete’s gravel pit yesterday

Prince George, BC – The looming labour shortage isn’t looming, it’s here, says one of the organizers involved in a program aimed at attracting high school students to careers in the construction industry and trades.

Worksafe BC Regional Prevention Manager, Bruce Clarke, says he’s hearing first-hand from industry employers challenged to keep their operations running smoothly because they can’t find people to fill job openings.

‘Heavy Metal Rocks’ is a local effort that has been working to meet some of the need.  A joint initiative involving the Prince George Construction Association, School District 57, the College of New Caledonia, and Worksafe BC – the four-day program provides 32 grade 11 and 12 students with heavy equipment work experience, safety training, and career awareness.

"Working with heavy equipment is hopefully going to be the ‘hook’ that gets them interested in the construction industry," says event Co-Coordinator Scotty Raitt.

In the nine years since he helped to found the first Heavy Metal Rocks, Raitt says approximately 25-percent of participants have gone on to careers in, or related to, the construction industry.  "Because it not only needs heavy equipment operators, it needs estimators and project managers and all of the other people necessary to keep things running smoothly." 

Prince George Construction Association President, Roz Thorn, agrees, saying the program is the perfect opportunity to introduce young people to the myriad of career paths available – from design all the way through to the supply side of the industry. 

Following an intense safety orientation and visit to a local construction site, the students spend the final two days operating everything from rock trucks, to excavators, to cranes.  Local businesses donate the equipment and operator time and, Raitt points out, it’s often an opportunity to ‘proof test’ future employees. Two of the operators volunteering this year were previous grads of the program.

Shelley O’Carroll was on-site yesterday to watch her 17-year-old daughter, Darcy, operate a crane.  "I had one of the people here just tell me he’s already given my daughter a contact for one of the pulpmills, saying that she’d be awesome to go and help out with their mill shutdowns in a certain capacity," says O’Carroll.  "So I’m kind of in awe as to the opportunities the kids are given already."

O’Carroll says her daughter is considering pursuing environmental studies.  "And this is just one puzzle piece for her that is kind of connecting-the-dots, knowing that it would be a benefit," says the proud mom.  "This is her first exposure to the industry, so it may be a career, or it may be a high-paying summer job that empowers her to do more."

For her part, Darcy says she hadn’t considered working with heavy equipment until a classroom presentation about the Heavy Metal Rocks program.  She says the experience has been an eye-opener, "Definitely, there’s so much more out there that I’d never thought about." (click on photo at right for video clip)

Offering guidance to the College Heights student was Sterling Crane operator, Rhett Humphries, who says he wished a similar program had existed when he was in school.  Humphries took a more round about way to his present career, becoming a welder first. 

It’s his second year volunteering with the program, saying it’s a great chance to give the teens an opportunity to see what the job is all about.

PGSS student, Kayden Heinrichs, says she’s known for awhile that she was interested in pursuing a career in trades, after taking automotive and carpentry classes at school.

"I’m just expanding my career options because I’m not sure what I want to do in the future yet and I just want to see as much as I can," says the 17-year-old.  "I took a Canfor tour a couple of weeks ago, as well.  This is just a great opportunity and I wish more kids could do it."

Bruce Clarke points out that the Prince George program has become a template for the rest of the province.  He says local organizers have offered guidance and assistance to similar programs now being run in Kelowna, Kamloops, and Williams Lake, as well as one in the Kootenays and another on Vancouver Island.

"For something like this to be successful, it can’t be one or two groups," says Clarke, "It has to be the whole community."