VSB Trades Program Connects High School Students to Paid Apprenticeships

Photo Credit: VSB

Centered around facilitating the transition from the classroom to working in industry trades, the Youth Work in Trades (WRK) Program is jointly supported by the BC Ministry of Education and Child Care and SkilledTradesBC. 

This program is promoted by the Vancouver School Board (VSB), and connects high school students to paid apprenticeships that provide up to 16 high school credits — equivalent to four courses. Students who graduate from this program will accumulate up to 480 training hours. By finishing two types of industry training programs — the Red Seal and the BC Trades Program — SkilledTradesBC provides students with provincial-level trades credentials.

The WRK Program requires students to be at least Grade 10 and above the age of 14 to begin their apprenticeship training. Students typically work four days a week and have one designated day to complete their schoolwork. VSB Career Programs and South Hill Education Centre have a partnership that allows students to enroll in self-paced courses given they only have one or two requirements left, and students can take courses at VLN.

Hamber alumnus Angelo Segui-Andaluz explained to The Nest that, while his apprenticeship as a sheet metal worker is exhausting, the pay is good, and he finds that it keeps him accountable for a productive lifestyle. 

“My schedule typically goes like this,” he said. “I wake up at 4:00 in the morning, do my routine, arrive at my workplace by 5:00 to carry heavy sheets of metal and such until 1:00 PM. It’s definitely hard, physical work, and you have to want to do it to go far, but overall, it makes me happy to be doing something productive.”

Segui-Andaluz started to consider trades when he attended a course planning assembly at Hamber. “It was just an option that stuck in the back of my head until my senior year,” he recalled. “My senior schedule just seemed a little empty, and I had no idea what I wanted to do after school, so I thought I would just give it a shot.” 

On June 4, 2024, Segui-Andaluz walked the stage of the Orpheum Theatre in his cap and gown, graduating alongside his friends as member of the class of 2024. 

While Segui-Andaluz loves his workplace and appreciates his mentors, he told The Nest he didn’t get much support from VSB Career Programs staff once they had secured his entry into SkilledTradesBC. Luckily, he was connected by his union to his current job, and he has been working there since.

Hamber student Orpheus Vavvas (12) is also currently enrolled in the WRK program, completing work as an electrician. He hopes to enter the field after graduation, and finds that the program is teaching him essential skills he needs for the job.

“I am learning how to set up homes and their electrical wiring,” he said. “I think the most important thing I’ve learned is to always ask for help if you need it, because that’s better than messing up and slowing the work down for everyone.”

When asked if he would recommend the program to younger students who are hoping to pursue a career in trades, Vavvas had a simple answer: “Yes. You definitely have to work hard and be patient, but I feel like I am being really productive right now, I’m earning money, and my only regret is that I wish I had joined in Grade 11.”