Opportunities, advice and the future: A journeyperson shares views on youth and her industry

“Nothing that you do in the trades will ever be lost on you”

Nathalie Rosberry didn’t always see herself as a tradesperson (Plumber ’17). In fact, after finishing high school a decade ago, she was looking in a notably different direction.

“I had a love for English and history,” says Roseberry, now a project manager with Goldbar Contractors. “I still do.”

But after receiving a university acceptance letter, she knew her dream of becoming a professor was out of reach. Roseberry had the interest but not the means. What she needed right then was a job, and preferably one that would qualify as a career.

Knowing people her age in the trades, Roseberry started exploring options, investigating welding, electrical and plumbing. Goldbar called back regarding the latter. “And here we are, 10 years later.”

Today, Roseberry handles construction projects from the point of procurement to on-site problem-solving to turnover to the client, all of it grounded in her time on the tools. As a Skilled Trades Youth Ambassador – an advisory council to Alberta’s Ministry of Advanced Education created earlier this year – she sees potential for other young people to find their own unexpected success in the trades.

We talked to Roseberry about the value of persistence, why women apprentices can and should be choosy, and what young people overall can bring to the modern jobsite.

It won’t always be easy

“The first two years were tough,” says Roseberry. “My feet hurt a lot the first three months – I'm not gonna lie.”

Roseberry recognizes that she was immersed in the basics during the early days of her apprenticeship. She spent much time mastering tasks that were essential to construction projects but didn’t give her the insight she wanted into construction as a whole. By year three, however, her growing skills and confidence began to make the connections clearer.

Throughout, she was motivated by the prospect of permanence. “I'm going to have this [journeyperson] ticket for the rest of my life,” Roseberry knew. And with that, she felt, came the assurance of a stable, well-paying career.

The need for encouragement

Roseberry feels more could be done to share an understanding of those benefits with young people who are considering their post-secondary options. She sees university and polytechnic paths as being “parallel to each other,” and hopes both may be given equal weighting by guidance counsellors and other influencers.

Roseberry believes that industry has a role to play as well. “Companies can … get involved in the conversation. They can put their name out there [and] help get the information to the youth.”

Trades need youth

While Roseberry recognizes that apprentices learn from the generations that came before them, she sees young people arriving with skills and perspectives from which industry can benefit immediately. One is a tendency to adapt quickly to technology.

“I witness it every day when we have a new app or something like that,” says Roseberry. “Immediately they get it. That's just one example but there's so much technology in the trades now.”

Overall, she sees young apprentices as innovative and creative, and eager to explore new ways of doing things. That often includes “sustainability and green initiatives,” Roseberry adds.

“I think a lot of the industry is delving into that. So when you have people who naturally care about that, they bring that with their work ethic.”

A place for women

“I liked the camaraderie that I had with the guys that I was working with,” says Roseberry. Other than for four months, she was the only woman who apprenticed at Goldbar as she earned her ticket.

Roseberry recognizes that not all women will feel equally comfortable about entering fields traditionally dominated by men. “Hunt for a good company who can support you,” she says. Ask questions. How many women work there? Have there been issues around inclusion? Is there a diversity program in place?

Most importantly, Rosebery adds, know that there’s no need to tolerate trouble. Walk away; find something better. “There are hundreds of companies out there.”

Skills for better living

Alberta is facing a labour shortage, particularly in construction. While that’s a challenge for industry, it’s an opportunity for young people, says Roseberry. “[There are] so many career pathways and adjacent opportunities that you can take through the trades, whether … you continue to work up to be a foreman in the field you love or transfer among multiple trades.”

No matter what, Roseberry feels that “nothing that you do in the trades will ever be lost on you. [Those] skills are transferable to so many things in your life, because it forces problem solving.

“And I think that having that as a young person in general – to be able to problem-solve, build things, take care of things yourself – just lays a really good foundation for your life.”