Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Got Skills?

Every year, thousands of youth and apprentices gather to show off their trades and technical talents in Skills Canada competitions. Two CLAC members who have competed at Skills spoke to us about why they joined the trades, what it was like to compete at Skills, and what they’ve accomplished in their careers.

“The atmosphere was intense. I arrived and my heart was already beating fast. Then we got our project and my head was racing—lots of adrenaline—for five hours straight,” says Curtis DeGraaf who, as an apprentice, competed in the plumbing competition at Skills Canada, Ontario.

Curtis, who is now a journeyman plumber at Besseling Mechanical Inc., was one of the thousands of youth and apprentices who compete in Skills Canada provincial, territorial, and national competitions every year.

Skills Canada is a national non-profit organization that promotes the skilled trades and technologies to young people through various events and competitions. Each province and territory holds a competition in the spring, where students and apprentices in 40 to 70 trades and technology areas—from carpenters to mechanics to hairdressers to animators—compete in their own division. The winners move on to the Skills Canada National Competition. Every two years, competitors from the national competition are selected to form Team Canada and compete at WorldSkills.

“It’s tense for the competitors,” says Ken Eerkes, CLAC’s Alberta apprenticeship manager who first introduced Skills Canada to CLAC. “They are in a competition and the public is 10 feet away from them, so they have two pressure points. It’s Olympic-calibre competition, especially when you get into the world competition.”

Two CLAC members—Curtis DeGraaf and Harley Griffin—who have competed in the provincial Skills events, spoke to us about why they joined the trades, what it was like to compete at Skills, and what they’ve accomplished in their careers.

Harley Griffin

Third-year apprentice carpenter
Employed by PCL Builders in Calgary
Competed in Skills Alberta 2016

Q: What did you want to be as a kid? When did you decide you wanted to be a carpenter, and what did you do to achieve that goal?

A: I’ve wanted to be a carpenter ever since I was about eight years old and my dad gave me my first Lego set. After that, I helped him in the shop, holding plywood scraps as they came off the table saw. My grandpa also really helped me pursue my passion for carpentry because when I visited his house as a kid, he would give me a box of nails, a hammer, and a pile of wood and tell me to go wild. I found a real passion for woodworking and building something out of nothing.

I took shop classes in junior high and high school and geared all of my classes toward the trades. I was fortunate enough for PCL to hire me on right out of high school.

Q: How did you end up competing at Skills, and why did you want to compete?

A: During my first year at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology [SAIT] in 2015, I asked my instructor if I could compete. But SAIT had already filled their two spots, so I put my name on the list for 2016.

I wanted to compete because at Skills, you get to showcase your skill set and compete against the best apprentices in your field to see who is the best.

Q: What was it like?

A: For me, it was kind of stressful because it was the first time I had competed, and I didn’t know what to expect. I went with a buddy from SAIT who had competed the year before. He told me it would be a ton of fun.

I didn’t know if it was going to be really challenging or a lot of fun. It turns out that it was both very challenging and very fun. The atmosphere was pretty relaxed—until the whistle blew. Then it was high gear for the next six hours.

Even when you aren’t competing, it’s a lot of fun because you see things that you don’t get to see in your own field. You get to see all of the trades in action.

Q: What was your project?

A: We had to build a scaled-down shed. It had several different aspects to it—a sloped roof, rake rafters [one of the more challenging rafters to build], trim work, stud layouts, and other basic stuff that any carpenter should know. They also highlighted more challenging aspects that would take more time and really showcase who was the best.

Q: How did you place?

A: My buddy placed first and went on to the nationals. I placed sixth out of nine. I wasn’t super happy about it, but it was my first time, so it could have been worse. I hope to go back in 2017 and get higher up in the rankings.

Q: What are your future career goals?

A: For now, I really want to get my ticket. I have another year-and-a half until I’m a Red Seal journeyman carpenter. After that, there are a couple of different paths that I am interested in taking. One of them is possibly going into the military as a carpenter. Another is heading off to New Zealand for a bit to get a new perspective on woodworking and carpentry. Some of my friends are heading there because they have a dire need for carpenters.

Q: What would you say to someone thinking about entering the carpentry trade?

A: Don’t hold back. It’s a trade that will never go out of style. People always need things built. It’s an excellent trade for problem solvers and people who want to work outside, inside, or all over the world. You can get work almost anywhere you go.

Curtis DeGraaf

Journeyperson plumber, gas fitter, supervisor
Employed by Besseling Mechanical in Hamilton, ON
Competed in Skills Ontario 2011

Q: What did you want to be as a kid? When did you decide you wanted to be a plumber, and what did you do to achieve that goal?

A: I used to read the comic book Tintin and he always flew airplanes, so I grew up wanting to be a pilot. I joined air cadets, got my private pilot’s and glider’s licenses, and started college for it. Then I realized it wasn’t for me. As a child, you have these visions. But in reality, you don’t just jump in an airplane and fly everywhere in the world.

I worked at a factory for a short time until I got laid off. At that point, I thought that I should get a skill. So I started taking welding, and I welded for four-and-a-half years.

One day, I looked up and I saw an electrician wiring up a transformer. I thought it was pretty interesting, so I started taking electrical classes and I tried to get an apprenticeship. No one was hiring, so my cousin suggested I put my resume in for plumbing at Besseling.

Changing jobs takes sacrifice. When I was a welder, I was 22 years old and making $25 per hour. But when I looked at the electrician, he got me thinking that I didn’t want to be on a bench my whole life welding hydraulics. I basically cut my wages in half when I became an apprentice. But I knew if I didn’t do it then, I would become too comfortable with what I was making, and I wouldn’t be able to do it in the future.

Q: How did you end up competing at Skills, and why did you want to compete?

A: After I finished my intermediate year, my instructor at Mohawk College called me and asked if I was willing. I said, “For sure!” I love competition and it’s an exciting contest.

Q: What was your project?

A: The project had three major components—plastic pipe, metal pipe, and copper pipe. After grabbing my blueprints and looking at them, I decided where I would start. Nobody else did it the same way, so I thought, oh no!

My head started to play games with me, but I kept going. Sometimes, you have to step out and trust that you’ve been selected for a reason, and you’re going to do the best that you can—don’t worry about what everybody else is doing.

Q: How did you place?

A: Silver, which is a bittersweet medal. I looked at the project and thought, what could I have done better? But I know that the fact that I competed was an honour in itself and I wouldn’t trade it. I’m happy with my results. I had so much fun at the competition.

Q: How has your career advanced since Skills, and what are your future career goals?

A: I got my journeyman ticket. Now, I’m a site supervisor, so I have a crew of guys working with me. I’m responsible for making sure that material is ordered, that blueprints are approved, and issues are brought to the general contractor. I’m still on the tools though.

The journey is not over because I’m always taking courses. I took a back flow protection course to learn about keeping hazardous material out of the water system. It’s an add-on for the plumbing ticket. I also have my gasfitter 3 certificate so I can do natural gas. There are so many different skills that I can add on, which I intend to pursue. And being a supervisor is a new role for me, with lots to learn.

I would definitely be interested in the design process, but that takes sacrifice by going back to school, and leaving a career that is already quite good. I’ve also considered going into higher level management positions. But you have to take one step at a time and see what opportunities become available, and if you want to accept those risks.

Q: What would you say to someone thinking about entering the trades, particularly plumbing?

A: The trades are a really good option, and I think they’re often overlooked.

If someone is in high school, I recommend taking some co-op courses. Also, get some on-the-job experience because sometimes it’s hard to get that first job because employers want experience.

There are so many trades out there. Get a realistic view of what they look like. I think when people look at plumbing, they think of somebody with a toilet plunger and a snake. They don’t realize that the plumber is the one running natural gas and running medical gas in hospitals.

If you’re going into the trades as a second career, it can be a humbling experience to become an apprentice. You need to step back because if you look at the immediate future, sometimes you just see the hard work, not the final goal. Keep your eyes beyond today and think about where you would like to go and what steps you can take to get there. It takes sacrifice, but in the end, it’s definitely worth it.

Partnering with Skills

CLAC has been involved with Skills Canada since 2008 when it first partnered with Skills Alberta. By 2009, CLAC partnered with Skills Canada on a national level, as well as in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Ontario.

CLAC’s goals and philosophy align well with Skills Canada. It’s a great way to bring people from all groups together—unions, employers, industry, government, and educators—to promote the trades and technology.

Currently, Larry Richardson and Phil Polsom, CLAC Training BC and Saskatchewan directors respectively, as well as Ken Eerkes, CLAC Alberta apprenticeship manager, sit on their province’s Skills Canada board of directors. In 2016, Colin deRaaf, CLAC Training Ontario director, received the Klaus D. Woerner Skilled Trades Hall of Fame Award from Skills Ontario, which recognizes “individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of skilled trades and technologies.”

Skills Canada

Mission Statement: To encourage and support a coordinated Canadian approach to promoting skilled trades and technologies to youth.

Who competes: secondary and postsecondary students and apprentices.
Largest event: Skills Ontario, which attracts 2,400 secondary and postsecondary competitors in 70 trades and technologies areas and 20,000 spectators.

National event: 500 postsecondary students and apprentices compete in over 40 trades and technologies areas.

The goal of the competitions and trade shows is to raise the profile of the skilled trades among youth, parents, and teachers because many still don’t see the skilled trades as a viable career path.

The provincial arms of Skills Canada also put on smaller events, such as cardboard boat races and try-a-trade events for secondary and junior high students throughout the year to introduce them to the trades at a young age.

Harley Griffin

Curtis DeGraaf

Got Skills?

Harley Griffin

Curtis DeGraaf

Partnering with Skills

Skills Canada

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