Friday, June 29, 2012

10 Reasons to Choose Transport Training (Canada's Consumers Depend on It)


There are a lot of reasons to choose transport training. Canada is a country that relies on its truckers for the flow of consumer goods, including the most basic, life sustaining items such as food. Here are ten reasons to choose transportation courses and become a trucker.
1. Trucking contributes billions of dollars a year to the Canadian economy
According to Statistics Canada, trucking contributed more than $14 billion to our economy in 2004. More than half of the Canadian products exported to the U.S. in the same year were shipped by truck, and than three-quarters of the products that were brought into Canada did so by truck.
Takeaway for prospective students of transportation courses: Trucking is a robust industry. There are few viable alternatives for transporting goods in Canada.
2. Canadians depend on truckers for their most basic consumer goods.
Most of the food on our supermarket shelves has travelled thousands of miles to get there. Our food transportation is dependent on graduates of transport training. Truck school students, our supermarket aisles need you!
3.Most of the consumer goods transported between Canada and its neighbour to the south are transported by truck.
The Canadian to America and vice versa export industry depends on the graduates of transportation courses.
4. According to Statistics Canada, transportation was the main employer in the transportation sector, outperforming public transit and ground passenger transportation (figures for 2004).
5. There is a need for young people to take up the profession. Also according to Statistics Canada, trucking is a profession that more people are leaving than taking up. In 2004, truckers over the age of 55 outnumbered their counterparts under 30.
Takeaway: This is a profession that is greying. Students in transport training school can form the much needed next generation in Canada's trucking industry.
6. Graduate from transportation courses into full-time work. Trucking in Canada is an industry dominated by full-time rather than part-time jobs. According to Stats Canada, 97% of wage-earing truckers worked full-time in 2004.
7. According to the most recent figures available from Stats Can, trucking companies seem, in general to be increasing in profitability.
8. Don't like travel? Local trucking constitutes a significant chunk of trucking revenues in Canada.
9. Graduates of transportation courses who choose to work in trucking are choosing a diversified industry: rail cars, high tech equipment, retail goods, oil and gas, etc.
10. Transportation courses don't just have to be for students who love to travel. Some trucking companies are focused on local deliveries.
We need graduates of transportation courses to drive goods across the land, to construction sites, stores, etc. Trucking is clearly an industry that is alive and well in Canada.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

5 Financial Pitfalls to Avoid As a Student


Student life may be your first taste of real financial freedom; but with financial freedom, comes financial responsibility - and you can't afford to forget it!There are some common financial mistakes made by university students, but to be forewarned is to be forearmed, so here are 5 of the main money mishaps and how to avoid them.
5 tips for students - what NOT to do when it comes to your money
Choosing your accommodation- yes, we all want to live in a nice house, with a garden and all the trappings of modern life, but are your student days the time to do it?! Good property comes at a price, and on your paltry income, you probably can't really afford that penthouse suite or contemporary styled flat. Don't sink all of your money into a property that costs more than you have to spend and then find that you're tied into a contract you can't afford, but can't escape. There are plenty of 'cheap as chips' student houses to let in university towns and cities - speak to a letting agent that specialises in student property to find the best deal, or speak to your uni's student housing department for advice.
Don't play guessing games- money is serious business, something that many people don't realise when they're spending somebody else's, but soon becomes apparent when it's their own! If you've received a bill and it doesn't seem right, or what was agreed, man/woman up and deal with it. Don't be afraid to query anyone if something seems wrong, even if it's your bank. If you're worried you might be missing the point yourself, ask your parents, a trusted friend or someond in Student Support for help first.
Spend, spend, spend- you may be convinced that you need those £120 trainers, or that £200 handbag, but the simple fact is that however much you want it you really can't afford to buy it (unless of course you have very wealthy parents supporting you through your education). It's always nice to have some luxuries, but make them little ones; a cheap dinner out to celebrate a great result, some posh toiletries so that you feel pampered or something similar should suffice. Budgeting and knowing exactly what you've got to spend is a massive part of your education at this stage of your life, and learning that you can't have everything you like just because you've got some money in the bank is an important lesson. Remember that your money has to last you a whole term or perhaps a year, so you've got to spend slowly and carefully to make sure it will stretch that far.
Treating credit cards and loans like free cash- just because somebody is giving you access to a pot of cash, it doesn't mean that it's free money to spend as you like - it all has to be paid back eventually and once it's gone, you'll only have to take out more debt to continue to pay for the necessities, such as your student accommodation, household bills, learning materials and food. Yes, it might be exciting when you check your bank account and see all of those numbers, but once it's gone, it's gone, and then you'll be under more pressure to pay it all back when your studies have finished.
Drive yourself mad- for many people when they're just starting university, they've recently passed the driving test and have sampled that real taste of freedom that they've been craving for years. However, a car is a very expensive luxury and certainly not a necessity at university. It will quickly drain any spare cash you may have, and if something goes wrong, you may not be able to afford to fix it - leaving you without a car, while still having to pay for your insurance and road tax. It's easy to find a house to let that will accept students very close to your university campus - after all, it's a competitive market and landlords will always look to buy property that suits its purpose. You may even have student accommodation within the university grounds - so why would you need a car?! There'll be plenty of pubs around, friends living locally and other forms of transport if you really need them - jump on a bus, grab the train or use your legs, which are completely free!
It's often said that your university years are the best years of your life - but you can make them even better if you don't have to constantly stress about money. If you're struggling to make ends meet, get a job, tighten your belt, or learn to budget better - just don't go and spend money you don't have to make yourself feel better!