Herzing Skilled Trades

Patrick Chan had spent 15 years in the restaurant industry, working his way up to sous chef and eventually head chef. But then COVID hit and he realized he needed a different career.

He’d always enjoyed being active and working with his hands, so the skilled trades seemed like a good fit. He took the leap and enrolled in the plumbing program at Herzing College.

With support from college staff, he found work almost immediately after graduating, and is very much enjoying his second career.

Here’s his story.

Updated December 2024

So you’re interested in a rewarding career in the skilled trades, but you’re torn between the fields of heating/cooling and plumbing?

HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) and plumbing both offer excellent job security, good wages, and the satisfaction of keeping people comfortable in their homes and businesses. But they also have some key differences.

This guide will help you compare the key aspects of HVAC vs. plumbing: duties, skills, salaries, career options, and more. By the end, you’ll have all the information you need to choose the trade that’s best for you.

Updated December 2024

Construction estimators are the financial guardians of building projects. They translate blueprints and specifications into dollar figures, estimating the costs of materials, labour, and equipment.

Their work is crucial for winning bids, managing budgets, and ensuring projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the required standards.

But what exactly does a construction estimator do? What does a typical day look like?

In this post, we offer a detailed look at the day-to-day responsibilities of construction estimators and the pivotal role they play in construction projects. We also delve into salaries, career prospects, and the skills needed to succeed in this role.

Keep reading to see if this career is a good fit for you.

Wolseley Canada, one of the country’s top wholesale distributors of plumbing and heating products, recently sponsored Herzing College’s Women in Trades event and announced three new scholarships.

Updated December 2024

Many people have an image of plumbing as being about clogged drains and overflowing toilets. But that’s far from the complete picture.

The truth is that the plumbing trade offers steady demand and a diverse range of career opportunities across Ontario. Want to focus on home plumbing services? Industrial steamfitting? Fire protection? You have plenty of options.

In this blog, we outline various types of plumbers and plumbing specializations so you can discover the path that’s right for you.

As is the case for a lot of people, Erica Dingman’s career path zigged and zagged. She spent a few years dabbling in animation, customer service, and other areas, but none of them were quite right.

She’d always loved taking things apart and learning how they worked, so the trades seemed like a natural fit. After overcoming a slight hesitation that she might be too old to start something new, she enrolled in the plumbing pre-apprenticeship training at Herzing College.

It turned out to be a great decision. Erica was so successful that she was even asked to be a teaching assistant in the program.

How did she find the whole experience? Keep reading to find out.

Kerianne Kerr was tired of instability. She’d bounced around in a variety of short-term jobs, but never really felt like she had a career. So when a friend of hers kept talking about the HVAC field and the need for skilled techs, she decided it was a path worth pursuing.

The trades had never been on her radar. She had never touched a power tool and wasn’t used to physical labour. But the instructors and staff at Herzing College offered the training and support she needed, and Kerianne graduated from the program in September 2023.

We interviewed her recently to get her thoughts on the whole experience. Read on for her story.

Updated December 2024

While construction estimating does not receive as much attention as other jobs in the skilled trades, it’s one of the most important roles on any construction site. A good estimator is critical to the success of any construction firm, since the accuracy and timeliness of a bid is a determining factor in which company wins the bid.

And skilled estimators are in demand. Government projections show that construction estimators have strong career prospects across most of Canada, including Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec.

So what specific skills do you need to find success as a construction estimator? The following five attributes are widely considered essential.

Raechel Kula’s career path has taken some interesting turns. After several years in software testing, she went back to school for theatre training. But steady work in the entertainment industry is hard to come by, and she liked the idea of a job with more regular hours.

An encounter with some electricians sparked her interest in that trade. That led her to enrol in the electrician and network cabling program at Herzing College.

After graduating in September 2022, she immediately went to work full time at a small company in Toronto that installs lighting, communications, and audio-video systems in commercial and high-end residential properties.

We spoke with Raechel to learn more about her experience at Herzing and how her career has unfolded. Here’s her story.

In Canada, women currently make up a very small percentage of the construction workforce, but a lot is changing within the industry in an effort to bump that number higher.

BuildForce Canada estimates that by 2032, the Canadian construction industry will require nearly 300,000 workers to keep up with demand. Many government agencies, construction organizations, and trade schools are doing everything they can to make sure that more women are included in this expansion.