Welding camp sparks new possibilities
Indigenous youth given a chance to try skilled trades through NAIT program
Gwen Arcand was introduced to welding at a summer camp for Indigenous youth in 2017.
Only a weeklong event, Arcand had a goal in sight she wasn’t able to accomplish, so she insisted to be a part of the camp again in 2018 — and this time she not only cemented her goal, but found a new career quest.
Arcand, 14, was one of 10 students in the NAIT Mind over Metal summer welding camp that concluded Friday co-ordinated by the Canadian Welding Bureau with the goal of inspiring youth to a career in the trade.
The goal for Arcand was to hold the welding torch on her own and use it for her project.
“It felt good that I could actually accomplish something,” she said holding her project upon completion of the camp.
The summer camp was one of two being hosted for Indigenous youth between the ages of 12 and 15 in Edmonton, funded by TransCanada.
NAIT apprenticeship welding instructor Gordon Krug has been the program leader for the past two years and said the main takeaway for the youth is exposure to the field.
“I think they’re taking away a knowledge of something that they never knew existed. Half haven’t even heard what a welder was prior to getting here” he said. “This is just opening the door to showing them that trades exist.”
There is a demand for trades workers — not just welding — Arcand said, which is why it is important to provide these opportunities and talk to youth before they start making career decisions.
The youth learned basic handson welding skills as well as the career elements and options for pursing the trade further.
Attached to the creativity element, Arcand said her goal is to continue welding as much as she can at camps like this and return to NAIT to study the trade when the time for college comes around.
“I feel that even though you mess up, you can still fix it, make it look real cool,” she said. “That’s pretty neat.”