Tim Matviienko has his dream job this summer. A recent Paul Kane graduate and a motorcycle fan, he has a gig fixing motorcycles at Riverside Motorsports in St. Albert.
“It’s honestly perfect,” he said of the job.
“I do what I love eight hours a day and I get paid for that.”
Mativiienko is one of about 45 St. Albert students working summer jobs this year through the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). The program lets students earn money, high school credits, and apprenticeship hours for journeyperson certification by working a real-world job.
This year’s RAP students are doing everything from grooming pets to building a school in Sherwood Park, said Natasha Pearson, school engagement co-ordinator with St. Albert Public. Many chose to do these jobs during summer break instead of during the school year to better fit their schedules. Some will stay on with their employers post-graduation.
“It gives the kids a head start,” she said, and can potentially lead to a $1,000 scholarship.
Career kickoff
Paul Kane Grade 11 student Jillian Bombay is working at a welder this summer through RAP for IMARK Architectural Metals in Edmonton. She said she’s mostly done cutting and deburring work so far, but was learning the basics of welding from her peers at work.
“It’s a good way to get a different type of job to get a different type of experience other than just working at a restaurant,” Bombay said of RAP.
One of Bombay’s co-workers was Mya Dollery, who went through RAP at Bellerose Composite a few years ago and was now earning her degree in welding from Red Deer Polytechnic. The RAP experience was hard, physical work, but she said it taught her lessons on teamwork and punctuality that will last forever.
“I would have never been into welding if I didn’t take the RAP program,” she said.
Pearson said RAP was a great way for students who might otherwise struggle with school to find their passion in life, and could help address the skilled labour shortage expected to arrive soon as the Baby Boomers generation retires.
Mativiienko, who is from Ukraine, said he was meeting new friends and learning a lot about wrench-work at his RAP job. He also got to take the shop’s bikes on test drives. He planned to study motorcycle repair at Fairview College this fall.
RAP was a great idea for students interested in blue-collar jobs, Mativiienko said.
“I wake up every day knowing I get to do something I love.”
Questions on RAP should go to Pearson at 587-983-8776.
