News
Jayden Roufosse Earns Journeyperson Certification
Sep 25, 2019
Posted in: achievement, Success Story
By Audrey Arcand and James Oloo
We sat down with Jayden Roufosse this month for a chat about his experience since he first came to Gabriel Dumont Institute over three years ago. Jayden is the most recent client of the Gabriel Dumont Institute Indigenous Apprenticeship Program to earn an Interprovincial Journeyperson Certification in Welding.
Ever since he was a young boy, Jayden has always liked making things. In high school, he took the Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship (SYA), a program that aims to raise awareness of apprenticeship by helping youth discover the rewards of working in the skilled trades.
According to the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission, the program not only promotes skilled trades as first-choice careers, but also keeps students in school to acquire the basic and essential skills necessary for success in the workplace while providing them with a head start on their skilled trades career.
Soon after he completed high school in 2015, Jayden started working with D.A.B. Welding and Repair Ltd. in Saskatoon. His supervisor then told him about the Gabriel Dumont Institute Indigenous Apprenticeship program. The supervisor told Jayden that it was better for him to register as an apprentice through the Indigenous Apprenticeship program so that his trade hours would count towards journeyperson certification. Jayden attended an apprenticeship information session at Gabriel Dumont Institute, which led to the signing of a partnership agreement by Gabriel Dumont Institute and D.A.B. Welding and Repair Ltd.
Jayden started his apprenticeship training with the Gabriel Dumont Institute Indigenous Apprenticeship program in February 2016, and on March 31, 2016, was indentured as an apprentice with the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission. Because Jayden had completed the SYA Program in high school, he had accumulated 300 hours of trade time credit by the time he started at the Indigenous Apprenticeship program.
He successfully challenged the certification examination, and on April 26, 2019 became the newest GDI Indigenous Apprenticeship Program client to attain the Interprovincial Red Seal Journeyperson Welder certification.
In addition, Jayden holds all his Welding tickets through the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB). His employer accommodated him and let him challenge all the CWB tests on site.
Noting that he learned many important lessons during his apprenticeship training, Jayden stated that “one of the key lessons I learned was to have patience and that you can never have enough practice.” It was through patience and a just-keep-going attitude that Jayden excelled in his chosen trade of welding.
Jayden enjoys his job because of the different tasks that each day often brings and “the feeling you get after completing something that took lots of hard work.” His future career goals include “learning as much as possible about the welding industry” and to be self-employed.
When asked about advice he would give to other Indigenous persons who are thinking of a career in the trades, Jayden said: “Believe in yourself and your abilities to do anything you set your mind on. Also, listen to the people with many years of experience in your chosen trade.”
Jayden expressed appreciation for the advice, encouragement, and financial support that the Gabriel Dumont Institute Indigenous Apprenticeship Program gave him. He concluded by thanking Gabriel Dumont Institute Training and Employment for enabling him to achieve a journeyperson certification in welding, thereby helping him realize his childhood dream of becoming a welder.
Audrey Arcand, an Employment Counsellor at Gabriel Dumont Institute Training and Employment in Saskatoon, has been working closely with Jayden over the past three years. She states that, “Jayden always had a bright beaming smile. He was a great client to work with and I wish all my clients were like him.” She added, “Jayden was my first client to attain a Journeyperson certification!”
Examination for the Interprovincial Journeyperson Welder is developed by a national committee of worker and employer representatives and is based on industry standards and expectations. To write the interprovincial journeyperson examination, the candidate must either successfully complete an apprenticeship training program – like Jayden did – or meet tradesperson eligibility requirements. The examination has written and practical components, with a pass mark of 70%. Apprentices are required to complete three years or 5,400 trade hours before they can take the interprovincial journeyperson examination. More information is available on the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission website at www.saskapprenticeship.ca. To learn more about the Gabriel Dumont Institute Indigenous Apprenticeship program, please contact Jodi Dolter by email at apprenticeships@gdins.org or call 1 877 488-6888.
