Algoma District School Board holds welding camps for 8th graders at Sault and Blind River stores
As part of an effort to get young people interested in pursuing careers in skilled trades, the Algoma District School Board is holding Mind Over Metal welding camps for students ages 12 to 15 in Sault Ste. Marie and Blind River this week and next.
The camps are held with funding from the CWB Welding Foundation and Tenaris with the support of the Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 800 store at 165 Northern Avenue East.
The camps are aimed at students who have completed 8th grade and are moving into 9th grade in the fall.
Welding seems to have piqued the interest of those students attending the program.
“I originally chose business for 9th grade, but now that I’m in this grade, I’ve decided to change that. I will call the school and change that. I really think that could be a career that I try to pursue,” said Peyton King, who recently graduated from Northern Heights Public School and is heading into 9th grade at Superior Heights in September.
“I definitely like welding, but I’d also like to study architecture or woodworking.”
King described what drew her to the trades, particularly welding.
“The way I can perfect everything I do working by hand, and with the noises and sounds of welding, I can always tell where I can fix things and how it should sound, so it’s really cool for me to understand and I know where and how I can fix things,” King said.
“I’ve always had an interest in him, but it’s only now that he’s really woken up.”
“It feels pretty cool,” said Samantha Newman, a Korah Collegiate graduate who was just hired to apprentice.
“I just started doing it in high school, a few classes, and manufacturing was the class I liked the most. It’s nice. We made hoods for trailer hitches, some people made fire pits. Wherever I can get a job, I’ll go,” Newman said.
Emily Potvin is a third-year apprentice plumber with Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 800 with thoughts of becoming a plumber.
“I was going to work. I was set on taking over a business and I didn’t like being away from the tools anymore, so I went back to school. I did a pre-trade through the Ontario government and from there applied to a few different stores. I wanted to be a miller, but I got in here and haven’t looked back since.
“I like it,” Potvin said.
“Every day I do something different. You learn how to do something 10 different ways and choose the one that’s right for you. The work, the camaraderie, the teamwork… I work with a welder all the time, so you become good friends and you can build something from scratch or rebuild it. It’s just great to be a part of something.”
Skilled trades are lucrative.
“I can’t complain about the pay,” smiled Potvin.
“It’s worth every cent I make. I love my job.”
There is an additional special focus among educators on encouraging women to enter skilled trades.
“It’s very unusual (women in professions), which is very surprising to me. There can be a lot of abuse and maybe that’s why, but I think anyone can be in the trade no matter what. It was so much fun. I thought I would be tired and that it would be like school, but it’s not like school. I can be here and actually work instead of sitting at a desk, but I can be very active, which is nice,” King said.
“We have eight girls right now and they all seem pretty pumped,” Potvin said.
“We teach them the health and safety that goes on in the shop and we also teach them a bit of welding. I have them on a wood carving machine, torches, plasma cutters.
“I think we need marketers. It doesn’t matter what you are, who you are. If you are interested in it, go for it. Follow him. Ask questions, be in it. I don’t think it matters what you are, who you are, your age doesn’t matter. Enter the trades if you want to try. If you have questions, come ask, find someone you know in the trade,” Potvin said.
“They sometimes think they’re a little nervous, it’s a hot metal, but we make it really comfortable for them, making sure they have nothing to be afraid of and they’re excellent,” said Larry Nelson, Local Plumbers and Plumbing Instructor in Union 800 welding and safety and a retired shop teacher for ADSB.
“They are here welding, cutting steel, they are fully engaged. It’s been a great week so far.”
“We want to make sure they’re not afraid to go into technical courses when they get into high school.” Nowadays, there is a huge demand for qualified professionals. I think we haven’t promoted it for many years, so now is the time to really move forward with it,” Nelson said.
Students worked on various projects such as making dog tags and baking ovens as an introduction to welding and metal working.
“I enjoy working with kids, helping them achieve different things than they normally would in their lives,” Nelson said.
Two other ADSB welding camps are for male and female Indigenous students.
One of these is currently being held at WC Eaket Secondary School for students from Serpent River, Blind River and surrounding areas from July 4 to 8.
The second is being held at Plumbers & Pipefitters Local Union 800 during the week of July 11-15.
There is still room for registrations for this particular camp for Indigenous male and female students, said Steve Burmaster, ADSB Co-op/Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program Pathways Coordinator.
Interested students can register by contacting ADSB via email.
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