Apprenticeship is a learning journey
Journeyperson Carpenter Alex Zbitniff, 23, and apprentice Danielle Cardinal, 29, share an easy camaraderie as they reminisce about the times they've worked together.
Zbitniff recalls her first impression of Cardinal. “She was ambitious and wanted to work. And I could tell that she would be a good worker and a good apprentice and person to have onsite.” Zbitniff has been a journeyperson Carpenter for almost two years and Cardinal is a third-year Carpenter apprentice. Currently, they work for Wright Construction in Saskatoon.
Cardinal met Zbitniff two years ago on a worksite that had two other women journeyperson Carpenters as well. Cardinal says it's important to see other women in leadership and mentorship roles in the trades. “I want to show them it's not as hard as you think.”
Over the years, Zbitniff has had the opportunity to mentor Cardinal at a few worksites. As a supervisor, Zbitniff wants apprentices to be open to learning new skills and recognize that there is always more to experience. She encourages them to ask questions. Zbitniff says that's how she learned — ask questions and figure out the best way.
“Danielle is a very good student. I'm so happy to continue having the opportunity to teach her and share my knowledge with her,” Zbitniff adds.
Cardinal appreciates Zbitniff as a mentor. She says Zbitniff is patient and makes coming to jobs enjoyable because of her positive attitude. “Alex has been a good mentor to me because she's an experienced journeyperson in the trade. And when she teaches me things, she teaches me with confidence, and if I make a mistake, she corrects me and encourages me to do better,” says Cardinal.
Cardinal is passionate about working in the skilled trades and describes apprenticeship as a learning journey. “I like the handson. I like building. And it's definitely a challenge. There's so much to learn. [Carpentry] is so diverse and there are so many different types of carpentry you can do. I love all the skill that comes with it,” she says. “[Carpentry] just opens the doors to a lot of other jobs because carpentry is really universal and you can pretty much use it anywhere in your everyday life.”
Cardinal looks forward to expanding her skill set; currently she works on commercial buildings but would like to try residential construction. She feels a sense of pride when she sees that her hard work contributed to the construction of a building at a site that started out as dirt.
Cardinal chose to become an apprentice because she recognizes the value in earning the journeyperson certification. “You get the opportunity to work with so many different journeypersons or supervisors who (have) gained knowledge and experience over the years,” she says. “It's important that the knowledge is passed down to apprentices because they are the future generation for the construction companies. It just helps the company grow bigger and stronger as time goes by.”
Working with a variety of people and other trades on job sites also highlights the importance of strong communication skills. “Communication is very important in construction,” says Cardinal. Zbitniff agrees. She says as a supervisor, good communication is especially important. Everyone has different ideas on how to solve a problem but if everyone is willing to talk through issues, they can come to a solution.
Apprenticeship is a learning journey and starts with being open to learning new things. Zbitniff offers this advice to apprentices: “Be confident in yourself that you know what to do, but also you can't be afraid to ask questions or talk to somebody if you do not know something. Because how else are you going to learn if you can't admit you don't know something?”