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When Jenn arrived for her first day of Grade 9, taking a carpentry class was the furthest thing from her mind. As far as Jenn knew, one of the classes she had signed up for was computers and she was looking forward to getting started in it. Imagine her surprise when glancing over her class schedule she saw that instead of computers her schedule listed carpentry. Jenn immediately set about trying to have her schedule changed but was told it would take a few days. There was nothing she could do but attend class and wait. That was three years and two technology awards ago. Jenn not only decided to stay in the carpentry class, she loved it and voluntarily signed up for it in Grades 10 and 11. She even won the Manufacturing Outstanding Achievement Award for the quality of her work in carpentry in both grades - the first girl in her school to do so. About to start Grade 12, Jenn, who has just completed a five-month co-op position with Oshawa-based R.H. Cabinets & Carpentry, Limited, is now looking forward to graduating high school and then completing the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program for Carpentry. As unexpected as it was to discover her passion for carpentry, even more surprising was her realization that "I can do this and I'm actually good at it!" And winning the Outstanding Achievement Awards was just the confidence boost she needed. An honour student, Jenn says she, "was accustomed to receiving good grades, but they were never the top grades. Here I was involved in carpentry as a result of an error and I'm receiving awards in it." Jenn has even become somewhat of a school celebrity because of the awards. Grade 9 carpentry students routinely learn about her winning the award two years in a row. Perhaps the message is sticking? This year's Grade 12 carpentry class had eight girls enrolled in it; in Grade 9 Jenn was the only one. She's proud to think she might have had a part to play in that change. Getting involved in carpentry has been a learning experience both in and out of the classroom. During the 2005 Skilled Trades of Canada Competition, an annual Olympic-style skills competition where student compete in over 30 trade and technology areas, Jenn disqualified herself by dropping out of the competition before completing her assignment. Says Jenn about the experience, "I was surprised I got so stressed. When I realized I had drilled holes on the wrong side of the table legs, I lost my composure." What's important is that she learned something from the experience. "I learned that it's okay to put the job down for a few minutes to think through the problem," - a valuable lesson on or off the job. During her co-op, Jenn's day began at 7am, with an update from the foreman on the tasks that needed to get done throughout the day. If there were doors or countertops ready for shipment, she helped to wrap them so they couldn't get scratched or otherwise damaged during delivery. Next, she began sanding closet doors or cabinets and sometimes spent entire days sanding or cleaning around the shop. Spraying baseboards in the spray booth also kept her busy. Jenn understands that all these functions are important parts of the job but what she loved the most was building countertops. The high point of her co-op was being allowed to build and complete a countertop all by herself. "No one ever let me do anything by myself before," says Jenn, who describes countertops as being one of the more challenging jobs because they require precision when routering and gluing. They are also physically demanding because of their awkward size. Working with a router can also be dangerous with hot pieces of countertop flying off while you work. To protect herself, she had to wear goggles and a mask, as well as long sleeves to protect her arms from the flying scraps. The job required safety and patience; after all the routering and gluing, the countertop still required hours of polishing and sanding. That never discouraged Jenn, though, who knows that each step is equally important in creating quality pieces. Every job in the shop requires adhering to safety precautions and patience. Another equally important skill in the shop is the ability to listen well and remember the instructions you've heard. With drills, sanders, routers, saws and air compressors running at the same time, it's difficult to hear. You also don't always have a chance to write the information down. You have to be able to focus quickly on the instructions you receive and maintain focus, despite the noise level. Jenn is proud of her accomplishments on the job. So far she's made a countertop, built doors from scratch, assembled cabinets and performed gluing, spraying and finishing. In fact, she's learned just about everything in the shop. She's also adjusted to working in what was previously a male-only shop. Says Jenn, "The first weeks I could tell guys were distracted because I was a girl, but by the end I was just one of the group and we all worked together." Overall she feels that "the work environment was friendly from the start and I didn't have to work as hard to prove myself as I had anticipated." A refreshing change after the reception she received at her first carpentry class where she was asked by a fellow student, "You're here as a joke, right?" Comments Jenn about her co-op experience, "I felt respected and enjoyed the camaraderie with my male co-workers." Jenn definitely feels this is a great job for women. "It's more fun than it looks," she says, "and you get a lot of satisfaction working with all the various types of wood and completing projects." She recommends that anyone interested in becoming a carpenter talk to people in the trade or a course teacher for first-hand feedback about the trade. Jenn has worked in the trade long enough to know that she wants to continue in carpentry, but whether that's in a hands-on job or as a teacher, she's not sure. She may even consider starting her own business one day. But first, she's promised her parents that she'll attend university so she will have as many options open to her as possible. Says Jenn, "With my carpentry ticket and a university degree in hand, I can do anything." And all because of an error on her class schedule. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
®1999 DURHAM REGION LOCAL TRAINING BOARD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
