SHEET METAL INDUSTRY TRAINING BOARD
SHEET METAL WORKERS TRAINING CENTRE SOCIETY
The 47th Annual Canadian Sheet Metal Apprenticeship Competition took place in Saskatoon (July 12 – 15, 2023). This year’s project was a replica of the American-Abell Steam Traction Engine from 1911, displayed in the Western Development Museum in Saskatoon.
Henry Derksen, from Century Plumbing and Heating Ltd., our Level 4 Apprentice Contest winner was selected to represent SMART Local Union 280. Another SMWTC graduate, Melanie Gregor-Payne was selected to represent Local 276. Congrats to both competitors! Check out this YouTube video to meet some of the competitors. Congratulations to all participants!
A return to normalcy! After a LONG hiatus since 2019 thanks to COVID restrictions, the SMWTC Annual Apprentice Contest will be hosted on November 25th at the Main facility.
The contest has apprentices from levels 1, 2, 3 & 4 competing with each other per level. In past years, Level 4 winners represented SMACNA & Local 280 at the Canadian Contest, hosted next year in Monton, NB – May 2024. Level 2 & 3 winners have represented SMWTC at Skills Canada BC Competition hosted at Tradex, in Abbotsford, BC – April 2024.
All competitors will receive door prizes donated by industry including a t-shirt. All level winners will receive a plaque and a Local 280 jacket to be presented at the January general meeting.
Invitations will be sent out to apprentices shortly. Space is limited and first come first serve. We have a limited number of contestant spots so if you don’t want to miss out, please RSVP to Astrid: astrid@smwtcs.ca by Friday, November 17th to reserve your spot!
18 students conquered the extreme heat over the summer months! This was another outstanding class with 18/18 Level 4 Sheet Metal students successfully completing Level 4! The Interprovincial Red Seal exam results were good too. Well done everyone. Best of luck to each and every one of you!
This collaborative Skills Ready initiative has been a great opportunity to introduce women to sheet metal and build more diversity in our labour force. So far, ten women participated in this one day ‘bootcamp’ workshop taught by Sheila Sadler, a female journey. Several have been hired by contractors including Modern Niagara and Viaduct Sheet Metal Ltd.
Building on the momentum of the Women in Sheet Metal Advisory Committee, in late November, we will launch the advisory committees for the other key groups targeted in our UTIP project: Indigenous People and Newcomers to Canada. Attendees will share their experiences and help shape equity, diversity and inclusion in the sheet metal industry. Watch for email invitations to RSVP.
The largest gathering of tradeswomen in the world will take place on December 1-3 in Washington, D.C. The Tradeswomen Build Nations conference brings together women from across North America representing diverse trades. We will have 12 SMART Local 280 delegates attending this event to represent the sheet metal industry.
Our training centres were visited by several prestigious guests over the last few months at both our facilities. Our new Valley training facility has increased our capacity to meet the growing demand for apprenticeship training led by industry demand and Skilled Trades Certification. However, we continue to seek additional funding ($750,000) needed for the last two phases of renovations, particularly the completion of the Valley welding department. These government officials and industry leaders learned more about the growing need for sheet metal training and puts SMWTC on the radar for potential funding in the future. These visits also spread the word that sheet metal is a great option for people choosing skilled trades as a rewarding career!
Our partner, BC Building Trades identified key players in diverse trades to become youth trade ambassadors for the College of BC Building Trades. The youth trade ambassadors visited the Main training centre in Surrey on September 26th to learn more about sheet metal. They will be working with high school educators to schedule workshops with students interested in the trades.
Our recent journey, Nicole Pasqualini, Ridge Sheet Metal was one of the outstanding group of activists out for the 2023 BC Building Trades Youth Conference on October 16th ahead of the BCBT’s Constitutional Convention in Victoria! This is the future of the labour movement!!
Our partner, the Construction Foundation of British Columbia coordinated a skill-building workshop with residents onsite at a minimum-security healing centre on September 28, 2023. This was a great opportunity for residents to explore the sheet metal trade as a potential career choice. Sheila Sadler, sheet metal journey, assisted participants to craft “Carry Some” metal toolboxes. This initiative was hosted in recognition of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Sep 30, 2023) to conduct outreach to the indigenous community.
Hosted onsite at Valley training facility, there were representatives from SMART Local 280, retirees, families and friends in attendance showcasing 20 vehicles. Jud Martell, Training Coordinator and Board Trustees provided tours to participants interested to see the new facility.
