Many of us have grown up aspiring to follow in the footsteps of modest income families and new immigrants who worked hard to achieve the “American Dream”, a term coined by historian James Truslow in 1931.
The American Dream conjures up thoughts of equal opportunity, affluence, overcoming barriers, climbing in social class, being the best we can be and living a life of freedom, reward and happiness.
As Canadians, we scarcely refer to the “Canadian Dream”, but perhaps now we ought to. According to a recent New York Times report, Canada’s median income level may now exceed that of the U.S.
More than just higher median incomes and faster income growth, Canada has seen greater movement up and down the economic ladder. Simply put, there’s more social mobility here which means you’re more likely to climb the ladder of success here than you are in America.
Canadian men born into the lowest income bracket have a 38% chance of reaching the top half of the income distribution by the time they’re adults. The equivalent odds in America are only 30%.
In Canada, the middle class is amongst the richest in the world. We receive nearly free health care, live longer and work fewer hours than Americans. Still, while we may be relatively lucky to live and work on Canadian soil, that doesn’t mean the Canadian Dream is being achieved by the masses. Income growth in Canada is still modest and nearly 7% of Canadians remain unemployed.
The Canadian Dream may be more alive in Canada than the US, but the gap between rich and poor in Canada is still large. Most of us still strive to earn a higher income and rise in social class.
Unfortunately, there are barriers to entry into entry-level jobs and training programs across North America. The disturbing reality is that many training programs and entry-level jobs oblige that stringent requirements and specific qualifications be met prior to application. These requirements can be extremely difficult if not impossible to meet.
An aspiring driver can obtain their AZ license and seek employment. However, most companies only hire drivers with 1 to 3 years of experience. That leaves drivers in an ironic and troubling position. How is a newly certified driver supposed to receive a year of driving experience if they just got their license? This has remained true in the industry for decades.
Formed over 10 years ago as a subsidiary of The Musket Transport Ltd., CHET is effectively a solution to this employment conundrum. CHET provides high-quality training in the form of expert classroom education and hands-on, one-on-one in-truck training.
Many successful graduates of CHET need not fret about where to get a hard-to-find year of professional driving experience in order to secure a job with a respected carrier. The reason why? Confident in the superior drivers’ training CHET grads receive, The Musket Transport Ltd. extends employment to many of them without requiring the year of experience required by many other carriers.
Why was CHET and its employment relationship to The Musket Transport Ltd. established? The Musket Transport CEO, was touched personally by these struggles at the beginning of his own driving career. He received his license but had great difficulty finding a job as he lacked the necessary year of driving experience. Luckily for aspiring drivers in Ontario, CHET has facilitated a tangible job connection to newly licensed drivers.
Contact a CHET representative today to learn more about our training program.
We Train, We Employ.