A rewarding journey

Guided by mentors on his apprenticeship journey, Jordan Laliberte now helps others achieve their Red Seal Certification.

Jordan Laliberte, a Red Seal Construction Electrician and electrical instructor at the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) in Saskatoon, is helping others achieve journeyperson certification. At 27, he's already entered his second year of teaching.

Laliberte says his apprenticeship journey wasn't always smooth. “I was actually unsuccessful in my first attempt as a journeyperson, taking my Red Seal exam.” He took that setback as motivation. “It motivated me to go even harder and to get into the books and go harder on the second attempt. I walked out of there with, I think it was an 86 per cent on my second attempt. So yeah, I smashed it the second time.”

Receiving his journeyperson certificate in the mail was a particularly proud moment for Laliberte. He noticed a package on his front doorstep as he pulled into his driveway. “I ripped it open immediately, and called my mom and my wife immediately because I was just so proud of attaining my journeyperson certification.”

Some days throughout his apprenticeship were harder than others, but overall, Laliberte loves his trade. “It challenged me in different ways that I never thought I could be challenged before, and it made me become a better person,” he says. Being on the tools taught him problem solving and gave him the confidence to make decisions independently.

Laliberte encourages high school students interested in the skilled trades to pay close attention in math class. “Math is crucial with the trades, especially Construction Electrician.” He also suggests students tour different educational institutions, like Saskatchewan Polytechnic or SIIT to explore different trades.

Laliberte had plenty of mentors guide him on his journey, including his older brother, a journeyperson Automotive Service Technician. “He was the one that put a bug in my ear about getting in the trades.”

Now teaching in the classroom, Laliberte is a mentor himself. One of the reasons he applied to teach at SIIT is because he knew he wanted to be a role model for others entering the skilled trades. “I want to make sure that they're successful as well, just like I once was.”

Laliberte finds that the skills he learned on the tools can also be applied to his current role as an instructor. “Being in supervisor roles in the past has helped me transition to managing a class,” he says. “Class management is something new to me, but also something that I really enjoy. It's very rewarding at the end of the program especially when you see [your students] cross that stage and graduate.”