Study Skills component in construction trades training

SkillPlan is a joint labour-management organization of the British Columbia Construction Industry Skills Improvement Council dedicated to meeting the basic-skills needs of its workers. One of its many initiatives is the Study Skills component, a three-session workshop now part of the trades qualification course for carpenters.

Workers who did not gain "journeyperson" status through the apprenticeship system but who have substantial experience in the trade are required to write a Trades Qualification exam. In the past some workers — not used to standardized written tests in high-pressured testing situations — have been reluctant to take their qualifying exams.

The Study Skills component helps participants in the trades course learn "how to" strategies: how to care for your health under pressure; how to manage time and family relationships for effective study; how to take notes during class; how to read complex material and take notes. It also covers test planning, memory techniques, and test taking.

A basic-skills instructor, who meets the group three times during the course, covers introduction to study skills and note-taking, checkup on skills, and finally (prior to the qualifying exam), test-taking skills.

This type of intervention yields additional benefits. The trades trainer learns how to incorporate basic-skills strategies into the trades course. Workers can learn how to learn. Those workers who identify new learning needs and interests can work individually or with small groups in a new SkillBase project at a training centre.