Skilled trades to university student: luck or courage?

The purpose of this paper is to examine participants’ experiences as they transitioned from the skilled trade labor workforce to the school teaching profession. Their goal was to work in the secondary school system as certificated teachers.

The study examined interview data from a 2014 to 2015 evaluation study of participants in the Career and Technology Studies Bridge to Teacher Certification Program in Alberta. Interview comments of 20 participants were analyzed.

Participants earning a bachelor of education degree countered their skilled trade habitus with adjustment to the university habitus, with support provided though the program and strong networks among the students. Individuals demonstrated resiliency, persistence, and optimism. The findings may have significance more broadly for a re-examination of university policies and spaces for non-traditional students.

The paper provides an insight into how a well-designed program provides opportunities for individuals to transition from the skilled trade workforce to university. Further, the paper contributes to the scholarly literature in the area of second-career teachers’ habitus, fields, and capitals.