National Skilled Trade and Technology Week
What is National Skilled Trade and Technology Week (NSTTW)?
NSTTW is a key date in the annual Skills/Compétences Canada (SCC) calendar. The goal of this week-long event is to promote and host awareness raising events around the many career opportunities in skilled trades and technology in Canada. During NSTTW organizations from across Canada get involved with SCC in a “hands-on” way to promote skilled trades and technology careers to youth, parents and the public.
Why is it happening?
It is clear that skilled trade and technology careers are important for our economy and an excellent career path for many young Canadians. Yet many Canadians either do not know what trade careers look like or what they entail. This week of events and information is dedicated to raise awareness through insight into the career options available.
Skills/Compétences Canada’s plan is to work with its member organizations and partners to facilitate and host skilled trades and technology activities in regions across Canada, to engage business and political leaders in discussions about the importance of these careers for our country, to focus media attention on these careers and to highlight those individuals that pursued these paths themselves.
Goals
- Get Canada’s youth thinking about skilled trade and technology careers as a viable, interesting option.
- Get Canada’s youth to engage in projects/experiences involving skilled trades and technology, fostering conversations between industries, teachers and students.
- Engage with industry thought leaders and political decision makers creating a dialogue focused on the importance of encouraging uptake in skilled trades and technology careers to ensure that Canada remains at the forefront of competitive advantage in global economies.
National Skilled Trade and Technology Week 2022
This year, National Skilled Trade and Technology Week (NSTTW) will be held from October 30 to November 5, 2022.
During NSTTW, Skills/Compétences Canada (SCC) engages organizations from across Canada to promote skilled trade and technology careers to youth, parents, career seekers and the public.
Activities highlighting skilled trade and technology careers are being held across Canada by Skills/Competences Canada’s Member Organizations to promote awareness of these great careers!
SCC will host the Official Launch of NSTTW at Red River College (Notre Dame Campus) in Winnipeg, Manitoba on Tuesday, November 1, 2022.
Students will be able to participate in interactive Try-A-Trade® and Technology activities, meet industry professionals and be introduced to stimulating careers in the skilled trades and technologies. Stay tuned for the full list of events happening near you!
You can check out our partners who are hosting a variety of activities for students to try
Have something to say about careers in the skilled trades or in technology? Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #NSTTW2022!
It’s a Wrap for National Skilled Trade and Technology Week 2021!
- Skills/Compétences Canada (SCC) officially launched the 17th National Skilled Trade and Technology Week (NSTTW) on November 2 at A Virtual Career Exploration Event. This event brought awareness to parents, youth, educators, and career seekers about the incredible skilled trade and technology career opportunities that are available across Canada.
- At this event, we had over 350 students, 5 industry and education partners, several industry celebrities, SCC alumni and many of our Skills Canada Member Organizations in attendance. Students had the opportunity to learn about career and education pathways in the skilled trades and technologies, interact with partners through text chat, answer trivia questions, check out SCC’s virtual stage and learn about the 9 +1 Skills for Success. This year’s theme was Creativity & Innovation, one of the Skills for Success.
- Student visitors could also participate in an exciting contest for a chance to win a DGI Mini 2 Drone. Congratulations to students from Glenview School and Brown Public School in Ontario for earning the most points on our leaderboard challenge and winning a Drone!
- In addition, SCC in partnership with the RBC Foundation, held a panel discussion on Crushing Barriers to the Skilled Trades where participants discussed the misconceptions, best practices and required preparation when pursuing a career in the trades. This panel gave audience members a real perspective of a diverse skilled trade worker. Celebrity guests included Sam Effah, RBC Olympian, Sebastian Clovis, HGTV Celebrity and Siobhan Detkavich, Top Chef Canada competitor. This was followed by an engaging Q&A.
- SCC also shared inspiring content on their social media channels including SCC’s ‘I Love My Job’ video series where we highlighted careers in the skilled trades and technologies and featured several of SCC’s partners and alumni through TikTok and Reels style videos.Go to our YouTube channel to see these informative and fun videos on the six sectors.
At this event, we had over 2,000 booth visits and over 1,700 video views. In addition, 83% of attendees agreed or somewhat agreed that they learned about new career options in the skilled trades and technologies. Check out our event recap document to see the full stats on our Virtual Career Exploration event. This virtual platform will be open for another three months and SCC encourages those who missed this event to check it out by registering for FREE at nsttw.vfairs.ca.
Skills Canada Alberta
November 1, Alberta’s Heartland community:Try-A-Trade® event for up to 800 students.
SCA will also be posting social media content around the legacy toolboxes that they will be packing and shipping to their Skills Exploration Days registered schools.
Skills Canada British Columbia
October 30: Release of podcast, featuring Tyler Blair, carpenter and former chef.
November 1: Instagram Giveaway, comment your favorite part from the podcast with Tyler Blair and/or something you learned, to be entered in the giveaway for a $25 e-gift card of your choice.
November 2 : Skills for Success video release and promotion.
November 3 : Release of Tristen Hatto Story, Skills Canada Alberta and WorldSkills Team Canada competitor in Electrical Installations.
November 4 : Alumni feature on Maxwell Melling, Skills Canada BC and WorldSkills Team Canada competitor in CNC Turning.
November 5: Trades and tech word challenge.
November 6 : Giveaway winner announced and thank you message for NSTTW 2022.
Skills Canada Nova Scotia
November 1:
Skilled Futures in Oceans – Virtual Experience in Marine Engineering. Join Chris as he visits the Canadian Coast Guard College in Sydney, NS to learn from the experts about Marine Engineering and the exciting career opportunities available in the Canadian Coast Guard.
Skilled Futures for Women. Self-Guided Carpentry Kits. Girls from communities throughout the Halifax Regional Municipality will have the opportunity to try their hands at carpentry by registering to pick up one of our Miniature Log-Cabin Building Kits, available via select branches of the Halifax Public Library: halifaxpubliclibraries.ca
Skills Canada New Brunswick
October 30: Social media posts promoting NSTTW provincial and national activities.
November 1: Social media takeover by SCNC 2022 Welding Bronze Medalist, Aiden Smith. A day in the life of a welder.
November 2 : Plant a seed activities with Landscape NB in schools.
November 3 : Plant a seed activities with Landscape NB in schools.
Skills Canada Northwest Territories
October 31: launching a new Try-A-Trade® Storefront, where educators and homeschool parents/guardians can order free Try-A-Trade® kits to be used for educational purposes.
November 5: hosting a 'Skills Social', a networking event to celebrate NSTTW, recognize their Post-Secondary competitors from SCNC 2022, giveaway prizes, and inform like-minded individuals about the opportunities that are available to get involved with SCNWT programming and events. This is taking place at the Explorer Hotel in Yellowknife from 5:30 pm to 11:00 pm, and is free to attend.
Social media promotion throughout the week in the style of 'throwback' posts to previous competitions and events to build hype for the return of our the SCNWT territorial competition in May 2023.
Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador
November 1:
Official media launch with government, industry and community partners. Skilled Futures: Women in Technology event for local secondary students who identify as female.
November 2: Dragons’ Lairs: in-class interactive presentations at local intermediate schools. Hands-on demonstrations and tour of local college with local community groups.
November 3: Career Exploration presentations at local intermediate school.
November 4: Skilled Futures in Networking & Cyber Security for local secondary students.
Skills Canada Nunavut
October 31 to November 4: Virtual Trades and Tech Scavenger Hunt
November 2 and 3: Release Trades and Technology activity book.
November 2 and 3: Amazing Skills Race Iqaluit, NU.
November 5: Basic Automotive Mechanics Workshop for young women, Iqaluit, NU.
November 7: Cardboard Boat Race.
Skills Canada Ontario
Skills Canada Ontario will be sharing a “Skills Spotlight” campaign on social media with giveaways of experiential learning kits! They will also be holding multiple presentations every day that week in several locations across the province.
Skills Canada Prince Edward Island
November 4, Charlottetown Learning Centre, 1:00 to 4:00 pm: Try-A-Trade® Event: an interactive career exploration event for girls aged 11-15. Participants will have the chance to learn about various skilled trade careers in a fun, engaging and interactive way. Small, hands on workshops will be led by female industry professionals.
Skills Canada Saskatchewan
Skilled trade and technology competitions at various schools.
In-class challenges, with challenge kits.
Indigenous beading kits for schools.