Local Indigenous youth are facing new, exciting horizons in the marine industry, as Seaspan announces a new education program for Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) and Musqueam students.
A collaboration between Seaspan Shipyards and the MST Education and Training Society, the three-year program includes trades apprentice and shipbuilding courses, career path mapping programs, and essential skills and health and safety certificate programs.
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) elected council member Sxwíxwtn (Wilson Williams) said the Nation was grateful to be a part of the growing initiative, and it looks forward to creating more opportunities for Indigenous youth.
“The marine industry has long been part of the economic backbone of our territory, and this new education and training program will offer our young people the opportunity to pursue skilled careers in this expanding industry,” he said.
Kathleen Natrall, a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation) electrician apprentice and recent employee of Seaspan, said she that when she was a teenager she didn't know that working in the trades was a career option for her.
Students were pushed into office jobs, “accounting or business,” and so she hopes this program encourages youth to take a career path they might not have otherwise known was available to them, she said.
Since joining Seaspan in April 2022, Natrall has already seized a number of impressive opportunities that she'd be hard-pressed to find in a typical office environment.
Most recently, the 21-year-old was selected to press the button to energize the 600-volt main switchboard on the Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel. The vessel, which Natrall has also been laying cable for in collaboration with the electrical team, is being built for the Canadian Coast Guard and will be launched later this summer.
“I really enjoy working for Seaspan because I’ve been able to see and work in so many different departments, I’ve been able to see the whole ship-making process and have learned so much along the way,” she said.
Natrall said she is passionate about her own trade, but appreciates that the job allows her to have such a close and in-depth insight to others.
While she hopes to remain working as an electrician for the moment – her end goal is to gain a Red Seal endorsement, a trade certificate seal that shows she has the knowledge and skills to practise her trade across Canada – the boundless opportunities in other areas means she can shift around and career hop if she later wishes.
“I’d like to get my hands on a little bit of everything, like working on the tugboats one day when I’m more advanced in my apprenticeship,” she said. “I would love to see the boat when it’s a finished product.”
Natrall said one particular highlight of the job is being able to see hard work visually come to life – “it’s very satisfying” – however the benefits of such a role can run beyond those of the professional variety.
“I’ve found that being in training in such a great company like Seaspan has made me become more social, and less timid and shy,” she said.
“I never thought I would be able to work in a role like this one, or succeed in the jobs that I have, and so my advice to others looking to take up this training is to just try it. If you don’t like it, you can always try something else.”
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
