Jenna Novak

In the early days of her career, like many of us, Jenna moved around. From odd construction jobs to senior care and a diploma in Criminology, she tried to find just the right fit. Also, as a single mother of two, there was a constant struggle to find a career that would support her family. Finally, she had to make the difficult decision to look for work in Alberta while her children stayed with family in New Brunswick.

After four years of hard work as a welder’s helper and travelling back and forth from Alberta, she was finally in a position to change her circumstances. She returned to New Brunswick and decided to pursue training in a career that would provide for her family while doing something she had come to love. With a desire to make the most of her career, this self-driven single mom carefully weighed her options. Jenna saw that with the specialized welder training she could obtain through Ready Arc’s 6-month Pressure Welding Program she could begin her new career.

Every day for the next six months Jenna made the 1.5 hour trek from St. Stephen to Saint John for school. She worked hard in the shop and excelled in the classroom. While at Ready Arc she was able to gain certifications that most NB welders will readily recognize: F3B, F3(Approved), F3/F4(Approved), CWB FCAW (4 positions) and CWB SMAW (4 positions). She also passed her first year block exam for welders and had 900 hours accredited to her apprenticeship.

Jenna’s dedication to her goals, along with the hands-on and specialized training she received paid off. Immediately upon graduation, she landed an apprenticeship with one of New Brunswick’s largest companies. This allows her to work, raise and support her family right here at home in New Brunswick.

In 2017, Jenna was chosen to participate in the Regional Education Welder Apprentice Retention and Development (REWARD) program, which was created to help address a looming shortage in the skilled trades sector. It was developed to target recent welding graduates and provided intensive training en route to Jenna becoming a certified journeyperson. Jenna worked her way through the REWARDS program, working 4 ten-hour days, then training every single Friday from 2017 to 2020. Each year, she tackled block release training for her apprenticeship where she would go to school for a few months and then be tested to complete each year of her apprenticeship.

In 2020, Jenna reached her goal of becoming a Red Seal Welder. She worked her a** off to get it and we couldn’t be more proud.

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