Writing their own tickets

For most people entering the trades, the process is simple: school, apprenticeship, certification.

Three women who recently completed the non-destructive testing program at College of the North Atlantic in Port aux Basques decided to speed up that process.

Elaine Blackmore and Vanessa Vardy of Port aux Basques and Lisa Long of Stephenville wrote their Canadian General Standards Boards (CGSB) certification tests, as well as undergoing several eight-hour practical tests in the laboratory while attending school.

The CGSB certification means the women will have their tickets to work in the non-destructive testing field right out of school. Achieving certification is similar to the Red Seal program.

According to NDT instructor Dion Devoe, no CNA student has pursued their CGSB certification while attending school until now.

Ms. Blackmore said deciding to go after the certification was an easy decision for her.

"The more tickets you get, the more you can work. With just the course alone, you've got a slim chance of getting a job," she said.

The field has several certifications because there are several methods of non-destructive testing. Each method requires different certification.

Ms. Blackmore did her work while holding down a part-time job. She isn't sure how she managed to stay on top of the workload but somehow she and the other two managed.

"It's not really a women's industry. I think that pushed us further to get it," she said. "It's hard, but we wanted bad enough so we were going to work hard enough to get it."

Vanessa Vardy said they didn't have any standard textbooks or study guides for their certification exam.

"We just studied all the information we could find on the subject," she said.

Ms. Vardy still has two more practicals to complete and one more written test. She is confident that she can pass all three.

She didn't think twice about pursuing a job in a field dominated by men.

"I'm a hands on kind of a person - don't like being behind a desk," she said.

Both Port aux Basques women say they will go west for work once they receive their certification. Both are waiting until their certification is complete before sending out resumes.

reporter@gulfnews.ca