Current world events will see students struggling to find their way into the workforce during their summer breaks. The disappearance of many hospitality and restaurant-type jobs that are traditionally filled by students has placed a high demand on the remaining positions available. This, along with pull-back in government supports for student employment, will make it difficult for students in the summers ahead.
Getting a summer job is one thing but securing a job that provides a rewarding experience and valuable skills will prove to be challenging. The Student Manager position at University First Class Painters checks many of the boxes for the ideal summer job!
Chris McDonah, Regional Manager for over 15 years of the Alberta/Saskatchewan UFCP operation can vouch for how beneficial this position has been to students over the years.
“Students are able to take what they learn in a classroom environment and apply it to this position. They increase their skill set by learning the business! Students learn new skills and use them to benefit them in their studies and in their future career path”.
One of the most valuable parts of the position is the high-level management experience. For business and engineering students, human resources and project management are particularly relevant to their studies. Every year Chris sees many managers develop exceptional skills managing their staff and projects.
“The experience of managing people and projects is something students would not do in a typical summer job; this sets our student managers apart from all of the other students when they are looking for their “career” job or applying to graduate studies.”
To learn more about Chris McDonah experience watch his video testimonial below:
Starting a new business and learning a new trade can be challenging and that is why all training is provided and taught by our Regional Managers (RMs); their work ethic and goals have led them to industry success and they are the perfect mentors for a business start-up! Academia, ambition, and drive are a few of the many things our RMs hold in high regard and apply to everything they do!
The ideal student manager views the position as a stepping stone to achieve the higher goal they have set for themselves. Some aspire to eventually run a business, many support school expenses while others see the position as an opportunity to facilitate a career in the contracting business.
Mike Cherwak, one of our alumni who operated in Edmonton had a goal of entering dental school and joined UFCP as a student manager to gain business experience. He worked for two years achieving the experience and the financial reward that helped him manage and afford the expenses of graduate studies. He gained entry into Dental school and believes the UFCP experience was instrumental in his achievement.
“The parts of the job I loved the most was being able to be my own boss and waking up dictating how my day was going to look! University First Class Painters helped me with the dental school entry interview as there were a lot of situational questions I was able to confidently answer due to my experience as a student manager.” says Mike.
You can find out more about Mike’s experience in his testimonial below:
Duncan McHardy was an entrepreneur at heart and used his three years as a UFCP student manager to jumpstart an early entry into real estate investment. He worked hard, achieved his financial goals and was able to invest in rental units and start his real estate business goal.
Duncan relates his continued real estate success to the business model that UFCP provided and his ability to apply his skills and aptitude towards that business model.
“I was able to overcome challenges, figure out how to run the business, then the sales followed, then production followed … and it all started with hard work.”
Duncan really enjoyed the way running his own painting franchise helped him figure out what parts of business he enjoyed the most. “I really like marketing and sales and I wouldn’t have figured that out without running my own painting franchise which gave me a chance to prove what I was worth to myself.”
See Duncan McHardy’s video testimonial below to learn more:
Financial gain is a motivator and profitability remains a measure of business success. However, for many UFCP managers, achieving their personal goals while growing a business also serves as a tremendous motivator.
The mentorship and training provided in the University First Class Painters system is a great asset when it comes to expanding a student’s franchise. Spearin Murray, manager of the Sherwood Park area, is a great example of a manager who is building his business!
Spearin has continuously applied the knowledge he gains from ongoing training and the experiences of running his operation to scale up to a level of success not seen before him!
Spearin was able to generate over $34K in revenue in his first year with UFCP and at the end of his first successful season, his goal became to surpass his accomplishment. Exceeding all expectations, he achieved $165K in revenue in his second year and over $417K in his third year with over $125K in profit in this same year.
“If you’re willing to work really hard and get rewarded with opportunity and freedom, this is the perfect job for you!” Spearin says.
One of Spearin’s favourite parts of his business is the way it has expanded. “The mentorship I’ve received over the years from UFCP is very crucial to scaling so quickly. The biggest challenge I’ve found is handling the stress that comes with running a business that’s growing so quickly! It is important to achieve a work-life balance; take care of yourself while you’re working and be the best that you can be!”
“Because of the freedom and financial benefits I achieve with this position, I’m able to do everything that i want to do; go to music festivals, go to the mountains, whatever it is you like to do you have the freedom and the opportunity to do those things with this position.”
To learn more about Spearin Murray watch his testimonial below:
UFCP provides the opportunity for students to work in an advanced management system while employing cutting-edge technology. Our industry has proven to be positioned to perform successfully in the best and worst of times. As recent world affairs have shown, the painting contracting industry is a business that thrives!
For students, there are several jobs for them to choose from, but many can be mundane, tedious, and repetitive. For those students who are looking for more and want to have a challenging experience and achieve valuable skill development, the UFCP Student Manager position is the perfect fit.
University First Class Painters has provided thousands of students with management positions for over 40 years and we are proud to be one of Canada’s top student employers.
Duncan McHardy was an entrepreneur at heart and used his 
The mentorship and training provided in the 
