Teens who want a future as a carpenter or a electrician can get their career on track early with a new career training program. The Teen Apprentice Program is recruiting 30 grade 10 students from five high schools in southern New Brunswick to learn a skilled trade.
Mark Sherman of program founding member, Irving Oil, tells CHSJ News that the average age of the building trades journey-person in the province is 50 years old, meaning many jobs will need to be filled in the future. He estimates that between 5000-8000 jobs will need to be filled just to replace a retiring workforce.
20 businesses will taken on the students, and by the time they graduate from high school, they will have completed the skilled trade apprenticeship block 1 training hours in their trade of choice.
A memorial service is being held in the city for those who have been hurt or have died at work as part of National Day of Mourning.
Ron Oldfield of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour tells CHSJ News that when it comes to safety in workplaces, the attitude seems to be shifting for the better. He says employers are taking the stance now that safety is more important than speed; it's a job well done as long if it's done safely and everyone goes home happy at the end of the day.
The ceremony starts at noon today at Lily Lake, where there is a monument dedicated to injured workers followed by a small lunch provided by WorkSafeNB.
Health problems are bad enough without feeling out of the loop about your treatment, and Fredericton activist Monica McNally is petitioning the board of Horizon Health for an independent patient advocate to make sure people get the answers they're seeking.
McNally tells CHSJ News under the current system, patient advocates are hospital employees and as a result aren't exactly impartial. She'd like to see a totally independent advocate, like an ombudsman, to answer questions and make sure patients are treated with respect.
She says her son, Laurie, was misdiagnosed and treated disrespectfully by some hospital staff as he recovered from a life-altering bowel surgery. She says the province can't afford to make errors with people's treatment.
Lace up your bowling shoes and slip on your leather jacket.
Rock 'n Bowl for Kids is the theme of Big Brothers Big Sisters major annual fundraiser, Bowl for Kids Sake, and executive director Laurie Collins tells CHSJ News that the money supports their agency, which in turn, supports local kids in need of mentoring.
Their goal is to raise $120,000, and to recruit 100 teams to celebrate 100 years of Big Brothers Big Sisters in Canada. For more information, including how to sign up for the event on May 8th, click here.
