In his last year of high school, Davin Nigh knew he wanted to learn a trade, but wasn't sure which one.

Born and raised in Hagersville, Davin enrolled in a stationary engineering program at Mohawk College in nearby Hamilton, but a year later with diploma in hand, he was unable to find work in his field.

The gypsum mine back home was hiring though, so Davin took a job as a production miner. It wasn't necessarily what he had in mind, but he developed a reputation for being a hard worker and that's what finally got him his big break. The mine's maintenance department had a vacancy for an electrical apprentice and decided it would be better to hire someone who was already familiar with the operation than to recruit someone from outside.

Now a journeyman industrial electrician, Davin couldn't be happier about the path his career has taken.

He loves his job, his co-workers are like family and the money is excellent, particularly living in a small town.

Starting wage for an apprentice today at the Canadian Gypsum Company is $18 an hour. As a journeyman, you can make up to $26.67 an hour and a bit more if you're a lead hand or a foreman. Then there's overtime.

Davin works four 10-1/2 hour shifts Tuesday through Friday and gets paid time and a half for the final 2-1/2 hours every day. Long weekends give him an opportunity to play hockey and golf, and spend time soaking up the sun at a cottage on Lake Erie.

During his six-year apprenticeship, he combined work and classroom instruction by taking three, eight-week leaves of absence to attend Mohawk College.

"This way, you're able to get a taste of what you're going to do," says Davin. "If you go to school for three years to get a diploma first, you're just learning theory. By the time you get out in the workforce, you might find it's not for you. So I highly recommend that you work and go to school together. Plus you get paid."

Troubleshooting
Troubleshooting skills are essential for industrial electricians, he says.

"You have to be able to sit back, look at the whole picture and really analyze a situation instead of jumping in."

People skills are also important because you're always communicating with the guys in production and with your co-workers, he says.

Davin keeps busy doing troubleshooting, preventative maintenance, installing equipment and working on special projects underground. He works independently much of the time but is able to ask for help if he needs to.

One of the best parts of his job is the close relationship he has with the other six electricians in the department.

"The crew is very tight, very friendly, almost like family," he says.

Deciding on a career in high school isn't always easy.

"You go along doing your thing, and then in your final year, it's ‘hurry up and make a decision,'" says Davin. "I knew I wanted a trade. I just had to find out which one it was."

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