Apprenticeships can be an exciting time for trade students as they move through their program. The opportunity to get hands-on experience and theoretical learning is a chance for students to develop the skills and knowledge of their specific trade. Nonetheless, it can be challenging for students to balance the demands of their apprenticeship, classes, and personal life. Maintaining a work-life balance that allows students to thrive in both their personal and academic life is crucial to their success, health, and wellbeing.
Having 8-to-12-week blocks for theoretical learning makes a student’s time on campus very compressed. It’s challenging for students to fit in mental health counselling and support services, especially when these services aren’t available beyond typical business hours and students aren’t able to modify their academic schedules. Without having dedicated time to seek out support and balancing the pressures of work, school, and their personal life, students can often feel the burden of stress, anxiety, and burnout accumulating.
It’s important to note that not every student will have the same work-life balance issues. Gender, culture, age, race, marital status, socioeconomic status, family, and other factors all play a role in one’s work-life balance (Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety [CCOHS], 2023).
The effects of having versus lacking a work-life balance looks like (CCOHS, 2023):
HAVING A WORK-LIFE BALANCE
- Reduction of stress and anxiety
- Enhanced wellbeing and apprenticeship satisfaction
- Improved academic performance
- Strong sense of self-efficacy
- Better overall health
LACKING A WORK-LIFE BALANCE
- Chronic fatigue
- Depressive and anxiety symptoms
- Headaches
- Overall decreased health
- Decreased performance and productivity
- Burnout
Effectively having a work-life balance could look like:
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Developing time management skills (e.g., making to-do lists, setting goals, setting reminders) |
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Investing in self-compassion (e.g., spending time on a hobby, with loved ones, or animals) |
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Establishing clear boundaries (e.g., laying out working hours and breaks) |
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Acknowledgement of The National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace |
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Communicating openly |
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Efficiently prioritizing tasks based on importance and/or urgency |
Burnout is a significant risk factor for apprentices struggling to maintain a healthy work-life balance and can be a hazard in certain apprenticeships where students may have to make quick decisions, calculations, or handle heavy and dangerous machinery. With exposure to these hazards, we must recognize the signs and symptoms, many of which overlap with not having a work-life balance, such as exhaustion, anxiety, headaches, fatigue, and more. Causes of burnout in apprentices could be:
- Lack of support
- High workload
- Negative work environment
- Inadequate training
- Poor work-life balance
- Unrealistic expectations
For more information on burnout, visit CICMH’s Burnout Recovery infosheet here.
Spotlight
Mohawk College hosts events throughout the year pertaining to time management, stress, burnout, and resiliency. These courses are not trades-specific but cover important topics that are commonly seen within the trades.
In British Columbia, North Island College has launched a pilot project involving a dedicated mental health liaison to whom apprentices can reach out for resources and support as they move through their apprenticeship and enter the workforce. The project also aims to train current apprentices to become future mentors for the next cohort of apprentices.
