As part of our Skills for Success Youth Assembly (SFSYA) project, our team was tasked to experience the Try-A-Trade® and Technology activities at the Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) 2025, in Regina. So, Shane, Daniel and I let our feet guide us to explore the competition floor. Shane and Daniel both have been to SCNC before. Shane competed for Yukon in Secondary Cooking in 2024 and Daniel competed for Nunavut in Video Production both in 2023 and 2024. This is my first time at SCNC as part of SFSYA. I recently competed in Secondary Bricklaying and won gold in my province of New Brunswick.
We were so proud and excited to be there discovering SCNC as part of SFSYA. Being past competitors, we usually don’t have much time to experience it as a visitor. First of all, Try-A-Trade® and Technology activities are made from partnerships between companies from coast to coast to coast and Skills/Compétences Canada. These companies create a fun and engaging hands-on activity for the public to try a trade or technology in a professional and controlled environment with industry experts present to show you how it’s done and answer your questions. The goal of these activities is to introduce you to the trade or technology itself, and it just might spark your interest in the profession!
With the three of us having such different trade backgrounds, we wanted to try things none of us knew or had done before. Our first stop was at the Canadian Woodworker booth. Here, we crafted our own wooden kazoos using a drill press to make the holes and drive in the screws. They work quite well too! We then went to check out the UBC Sisters in the Brotherhood booth where we built a three-layer mini scaffolding. At the DeWalt booth, we got to play a game of giant “Tic-Tac-Toe” using the power of electric suction cups. We then made our way to the Lincoln Electric welding booth where we geared up in full Personal Protective Equipment – including a welding cap, gloves, apron, safety glasses and welding helmet – to try our hand at Welding. With the guidance from the instructors, we tacked two pieces of steel into a T-shape and ran weld beads on both sides. It’s not as easy as it looks! We learned that a weld is just like a signature, everyone has their own style. We also met a welding artist from Saskatchewan, Rob Jüng who creates art and beautiful metal sculptures with his craft. The last one to catch our eye was the Fluke booth where they had a circuit setup with a light bulb. The instructors showed us many different tools from electrical to thermal readers. The one we liked the best was the thermal reader connected to a cell phone using a small adapter. It was impressive to see how it displayed temperature variations in real-time using different colours to show heat levels on various objects.
Every booth we visited was such a great experience. There really was something for everyone here! Passionate industry professionals were there not only to show us how to do the Try-A-Trade® and Technology activities, but to share their love for their career and what it was all about. There were tons of visitors, and everyone was having fun, asking questions and discovering skilled trades and technologies. I’m sure everyone learned a thing or two during their visit. We sure did!
No matter your age, you are never too old or too young to discover the world of skilled trades and technologies. Don’t hesitate to attend the Skills Canada National Competition if it comes near you!
Contributed by: Daniel Tapatai, David Pilkington and Shane Clennett.
