The Alex Donaldson Award is presented annually to the top apprentice from SMART Local 280 and SMACNA-BC, recognizing excellence in the sheet metal trade.

Named in memory of Alex Donaldson, a dedicated Local 280 member committed to apprenticeships and training, the award honors the apprentice who excels in the Level 4 competition at the Sheet Metal Workers Training Centre Society (SMWTCS) Annual Apprentice Contest. This recipient earns the opportunity to represent their local union and SMACNA-BC at the Canadian Council’s Sheet Metal Apprentice Competition, held annually across the country.

Colin Nam from Apollo Sheet Metal received the Alex Donaldson Award in November 2024, being honored as the Top Apprentice at the SMACNA-BC event.

Colin was the 2023 SMWTC Apprentice Contest Winner, 4th place competitor at the Canadian Council’s Sheet Metal Apprentice Competition and the Franco Pederzini Memorial Award recipient last year.

 

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The Franco Pederzini Memorial Award is a $1,000 scholarship presented annually to the Level 4 winner of the Sheet Metal Workers Training Centre (SMWTC) Annual Apprentice Contest.

Established by Apollo Sheet Metal Ltd. in memory of Franco Pederzini — a former SMITB Trustee and SMWTCS Director (2018–2019)— the award honors his dedication to apprenticeship training and the sheet metal trade.

In recognition of her excellence in the trade, congratulations to Natasha Hua as the 2024 award recipient. Natasha was the 2024 SMWTC Apprentice Contest Level 4 Winner and will be competing at the Canadian Council’s Sheet Metal Apprentice Competition in July. Wish her luck!

 

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Congratulations
to our Grads!

It’s been an outstanding year turning out graduates from our Main & Valley locations. We’ve had 4 successful classes with everyone passing!

• 3 sheet metal (Level 4) classes
• 1 architectural sheet metal (Level 3) class

These students’ hard work and dedication to educational excellence was recognized by their instructors. Well done!

Student Projects Gallery

Our training centres are a showcase of incredible craftsmanship and technical ability by our talented level 4 students. At both the Main and Valley locations, these student projects add “character” to the space, inspiring future students to tap into their endless ideas and creativity!

We’d love to showcase more of the great work happening in our classes. If your project isn’t included in this edition, send your photos to media@smwtcs.ca and we’ll include them in our next newsletter and social media feed.

Click here to view the student projects gallery slideshow

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Women

In partnership with BC Building Trades, a crew of young adults participate in a Trade Ambassador Program to advocate for the trades to high school students via a presentation and games. Nicole Pasqualini represented the College of the BC Building Trades at Skills Canada BC on April 16, 2025.

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Indigenous

SMWTCS was invited to instruct a sheet metal “try a trade” for indigenous women at the Nexw7áỷstwaỷ Training and Trades Centre (Squamish Nation). Jake LeBlanc and Sheila Sadler facilitated a one-week trades sampler program in April.

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Newcomers

SMWTCS works with our partner, Skill Plan to implement an assessment process for all apprentices attending technical training. All apprentices, regardless of their citizenship status or country of origin, must demonstrate a satisfactory level of English proficiency, math work problems and document use to support them succeeding in their chosen program.

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Sheet Metal E.R.T.

Our Environmental Training Project promotes environmental stewardship by training apprentices to reduce, reuse, and recycle sheet metal.

In the first year of this three-year project, we accomplished the following:

• incorporated “reduce, reuse and recycle” strategies/shop projects into training curriculum with intent to reduce consumption of sheet metal materials

• engaged Skill Plan as project partner to provide access to SMWTCS instructors and students to their Building it Green online self-directed foundational course

• purchased sheet metal consumables for participant use

• identified recycling partners (e.g. North Delta Secondary School – donated 800 lbs of scrap metal)

• supported recruitment of equity-deserving groups (women, newcomers, Indigenous People) through various partnerships (Squamish Nation, PICS TradeBuilders Program, Skill Ready, etc.)

 

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Canada’s Building Trades Unions Building It Green initiative

The Building It Green program is a national climate literacy initiative launched in 2021 by Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU), funded by Employment and Social Development Canada’s Union Training and Innovation Program.

Developed by tradespeople for tradespeople, it equips apprentices, journeypersons, and instructors with the knowledge to integrate sustainable practices into construction work. The program offers a free 2.5-hour online Foundations Course and in-person train-the-trainer workshops, available through over 200 union training centres nationwide.

Collaborating with partners like SkillPlan and the Climate Industry Research Team, Building It Green aims to prepare the skilled trades workforce for Canada’s transition to a net-zero future. Although the project wraps up this fall, CBTU has been awarded another UTIP project to continue green initiatives.

 

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National UTIP Grant

In March 2025, SMART Canada and Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) secured a significant national grant through the Government of Canada’s Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP), specifically under the Sustainable Jobs Stream. This initiative is part of a broader $67 million investment aimed at preparing skilled trades workers for Canada’s transition to a clean economy.

SMART Canada was allocated up to $8.9 million of this funding to enhance training for over 2,000 members. The grant supports the development of a national online training curriculum, providing sheet metal workers across the country with accessible, always-on training to develop crucial skills for clean energy projects.

This partnership between SMART Canada and CBTU exemplifies a commitment to equipping tradespeople with the necessary skills to lead in sustainable construction and energy sectors, aligning with Canada’s goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

The announcement took place at Local 47’s training centre in Ottawa — watch it in the link below:
Ottawa Announces $67M Investment in Green Skills Training – March 18, 2025

 

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Mental Health Resources:

Updated Information and Supports

 

The Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan (CIRP) continued its mission in 2024 to provide comprehensive mental health and substance use support to unionized construction workers and their families across British Columbia and Yukon. CIRP recognizes the unique challenges faced by construction workers, and seeks ways to remove barriers and destigmatize mental health and substance use issues.

CIRP has introduced innovative programming such as Opioid-Free Pain Management. This includes myoActivation (a form of dry needling), restorative yoga, group therapy, and pain management workshops, aiming to reduce reliance on opioids and address the interplay between mental health, substance use, and pain. bccranesafety.ca

CIRP also partnered with Community Savings Credit Union to launch the Recovery Protection Program. This initiative is designed to provide financial support and resources to individuals in recovery, helping them navigate the economic challenges associated with treatment and reintegration into the workforce. comsavings.com

Through these initiatives, CIRP reaffirmed its role as a vital resource for the construction industry, adapting to emerging challenges and continuing to provide essential support services to its community.

 

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Welcome to our Spring 2024 Newsletter.

Would you like to have your art work published in our Newsletter?
We invite you to send your pictures to media@smwtcs.ca.

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View and download our Spring 2024 Newsletter:

 

 

Skills Canada BC hosted their 30th Annual Provincial Competition at the Abbotsford Trade and Exhibition Centre on April 17, 2024. Each year, this competition brings together the brightest minds and groundbreaking ideas in Skilled Trades. BC Skills helps thousands of students to explore rewarding careers through skills competitions, hands-on programs and resources for educators.

The Sheet Metal booth had four competitors representing SMWTCS, BCIT, and Okanagan College with instructors from each school onsite. SMWTCS was represented by Natasha Hua, from Modern Niagara as the 2023 Level 3 Apprentice Contest winner. The results were:

Gold: Samuel Gasser from British Columbia Institute of Technology

Silver: Mark Holowachuk from Okanagan College

Bronze: Brandon Vangool from British Columbia Institute of Technology

Congratulations to all the contestants!

 

The Canadian Council of Sheet Metal Workers and Roofers sponsored the 48th Annual Sheet Metal Apprentice Contest in conjunction with their Annual Convention.  This year’s contest attracted some of the top 4th year Sheet Metal Apprentices from across Canada who competed in the 2-day event held in Saint John, New Brunswick. 

Representing SMART Local Union 280 and SMACNA BC was Colin Nam of Apollo Sheet Metal. Colin was our Level 4 winner of the annual SMWTC Apprentice Contest hosted in November 2023, and was presented with the Franco Pederzini award.

This year’s project was a challenging copper and brass project, with the venue allowing members of the public to peruse the skills of our future generation of sheet metal worker and learn about the trades. The Canadian Council hosted a banquet to honour all the apprentices who competed and to recognize those who stood above the rest with awards and cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th place.

Colin placed 4th in the competition and was honoured with the prestigious Bob Brown Award! Bob Brown retired as the Director of Canadian Affairs for SMART in 2012 and passed away in 2016 shortly after receiving his 50-year service pin from the International. His passion was always that young people serving an apprenticeship be treated with respect and earn a fair wage as they progressed.

Thank you for representing our SMART Local Union 280 and SMACNA BC at this year’s competition.

Well done, Colin!

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“I am very grateful for the opportunity to represent our union and represent BC. I had a fantastic time meeting new people and learning new skills. All of the contestants were super friendly and we all got along pretty well. I think we all opened up pretty quickly and most of us were just there to have fun. I’m happy I took home 4th place with the Bob Brown Award. I went into it with the intention of having a good time and not stressing about the results of it. Overall it was a great chance to explore the east coast of Canada and it’s an experience I would encourage other apprentices to try and go for.”

— Colin Nam