Joseph Conlon – Electrical Apprentice with Pro Electric

Former OYAP Student and Fanshawe College Job Connect Client

Speech given at the2008 Apprenticeship Network Employer Recognition Awards

It’s truly an honour to share my story with all of you tonight.  (As you all now know) my name is Joe Conlon a fourth term apprentice currently employed at Pro Electric.  I am 21 years old and will soon be returning here to Fanshawe for my advanced level schooling. I hope that maybe I can give some insight on apprenticeships and maybe convince some young minds that an apprenticeship is very rewarding. Apprenticeships are a career path that should be considered.

So let’s start as a young man in high school on my way into grade 12. Like many people that age I still had no idea of what to do with my life.  I enjoyed math and French but most of all my tech classes. Although I hadn’t really had much experience in the workplace or any way of gaining any, my teachers at Catholic Central could see that I tackled

hands on tasks with great enthusiasm and suggested the OYAP course to me. 

OYAP is the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program which is a co-op focused on apprenticeships and in my case those in the construction sector. During the in-class portion of the course we would be able to perform various tasks such as dry walling or basic plumbing and electrical.  We were also taught how to read prints and how to create our own drawings by hand or using auto cad a design program on the computer.  After completing the class I received a certificate showing that I had completed Lock out, fall arrest, WHMIS and confined space training.  Safety was always rule number one for us.  They were building young people ready for the work world. 

The teachers were behind usall the way.  Each one of them wanted us to succeed and do big things with out life. I can not thank them enough for how they shaped me as a young man.  That one course I took set me on a great path and there’s no looking back from here.

I see OYAP as my foot in the door for many reasons.  Most importantly it allows a student to really experience what it’s like to be out there working.  During the Co-op portion we worked full days and believe me it wasn’t easy at first.  I had to wake up early, push myself through the day and go home tired just like the Journeypersons I looked up to and worked along side of.  Everyday was a new and exciting experience.  I was always putting my body and mind to the test and it felt great.  Each day I would go home with new found knowledge and skills, and that still holds true to this day you’ll never stop learning in the trades.

Secondly while on a Co-op placement you do not fall under the apprenticeship ratios that companies in the construction sector must abide by.  For example for every 2 electrical apprentices that works for a company there must be 4 journey persons employed.  This can make it tough to get any sort of experience and can make it tricky to find employment at times.  As an OYAP student you are legally allowed to complete the tasks an apprentice would do. 

I was fortunate enough to complete my Co-op with a great company Pro Electric and I could not ask for a better experience.  Everyone I crossed paths with was eager to help and teach me. I felt like a part of the company and I truly was.  After I had completed the class Pro hired me on through the Job Connect program and 4 years later I am still happily employed with them.

Being a young apprentice is the most fulfilling part of my life. Everyday I add another piece to the finished product and go home satisfied.  There are always new challenges that you will face but if you persevere the rewards are endless.

The jobsite is a great place to be; people of all sorts working towards a common goal.  We may not all be electricians out there but if you want anything to get done you’ll have to work with everybody even plumbers.

Since you work so close to other trades you also gain a basic understanding of their daily duties.  It enables you to work around or with people so that things move smoothly.

My job never gets boring because each day I get to complete many different tasks that test all of your limits.  I could be pulling wire or mounting boxes in the morning and installing plugs and switches at the end of the day.  It’s a new experience all the time and like I said you’ll never stop learning.

On top of that you’re being paid to learn, you even get paid during the in school portion of the apprenticeship.  I don’t know about you but ever since I was a kid I dreamed of getting paid to sit and learn while in class but I never thought it’d come true. And personally I like the idea that I’ll be debt free and a professional electrician when I’m done schooling rather than having a diploma, a debt and still having little idea of what I’m going to do with my life.  I’ll be licensed in a little over a year and I’m only 21 and the outlook is always great in the trades since there is such a high demand for hard working young people willing to get their hands dirty.  

We do work hard but there is always room for play.  The fun never ends you’re surrounded by characters of all types who always make things very interesting.  You’ll become friends with new and unusual people who are wise and eager to share their knowledge and experiences with you.

The most rewarding part about being an apprentice at such a young age is that there is no end to the possibilities that you can do with you life.   There’s entrepreneurial, supervision or even teaching opportunities…the sky’s the limit.  Who knows maybe in a couple of years I’ll be out for your position Mr. Sandie!  Seriously though I don’t think I could’ve made a better life choice and it’s not like life ends after the apprenticeship.

I’d like to thank you all for listening I hope you enjoyed yourselves as much as I have.  I’d also like to thank the apprenticeship network, Job Connect, Fanshawe College and anyone involved in apprenticeships.  Thanks to all members of companies here tonight without you people like me wouldn’t have these opportunities.  I’d like to thank Pro Electric above all because without them I wouldn’t be who I am today.

Thanks everyone andgoodnight!