b'COVER FEATUREAvenues: Are generational differences a factor in the industry,Avenues:Whats one thing youd say to the younger genera-and if so, how can younger workers navigate them? tion or someone new to the industry?Newlands:YourealwaysgoingtohavethatNewlands:Growing up in the country, I have millennial stereotype, and youre going to havea passion for the issues of rural areas. I would the more senior people who have more experi- muchratherworkinaruralareathanon ence. Thats just part of the job. The peopleaskyscraperindowntownToronto,so weworkwith,theproducers,havebeenworking in aggregate is very interesting and pretty good to me. They and the company Iintriguing. I thoroughly enjoy the people work with have done a good job of valuingI work with and the things we get to do my opinion while still teaching me. Youvebecauseweworkonsomereallyinter-got to work with the older professionals inestingprojects.Theaggregateindustry this industry; work hard, learn the ins andis much more than putting a shovel in the outs of the community and always be sureground and taking some rock out.that the work youre putting forward is your best work. When people know you want to learnCummins: The best tools you can use are your and succeed, they have a greater desire to workwork ethic and your personality. You as a young with you. Cam Sweetnam,professionalaregoingtobewhatdrivesyour James Dick Construction success, whether its volunteering or taking addi-Cummins:Senior people can really appreciate how youngertional course work or making those contacts: thats going to be peoplecantackleanewtechnologythatimproveshowtheywhat drives your career. I wish Id learned thatearlier! operate. Weve recently transitioned to flying drones over our sites to survey them. Anyone can learn this technology, but IdSweetnam:There is no schooling that really prepares you for rather see a young kid whos played 10 years of video gamesworking in the aggregate industry, so ask a lot of questions and skills are key, no matter what industry youre in. Confidence cantheres lots to learn!trying to fly them than a 60-year-old executive. Communicationabsorb a lot when youre young. Dont rush getting into thingsgo a long way if you can develop the skills needed to interact with other people.Sweetnam:What millennials lack, in terms of relevant expe-rience, [is counterbalanced because] we can run circles around the older generation in terms of data collection and organizing. I think thats what an older generation has a lot to learn about from millennials. Avenues:Whatkindsofongoingtrainingshouldnew employees in the industry plan for?Newlands:OSSGA provides lot of different opportunities for trainingAgregates 101 and 201 are good fundamental things to do. YouTube is starting to become a good training tool: there are some good videos that explain how to get rock out of the ground and into our driveways. Companies are trying to have more engagement, devoting more of their website to that and posting YouTube videos. Thats helpful, and obviously theres formal training on the job. Cummins: If you can find a conference that youre interested in, its a great way to see what the professionals who are 20 years ahead of you are doing. There are a lot of great people who are willing to lend a hand or help you out; these confer-ences are a great way to recognize what you might need to move youforward.Sweetnam: My experience is you start small and slow, and as your supervisor begins to trust you, you get trusted with bigger and bigger tasks. If youre interested in it, there are certain tools that can help you focus on geography, natural sciences and math.WINTER 2020AVENUES 11'