BY SARAH LINSTEIN
 Sheet metal is shaped, carved and welded.
Hair is styled, cut and coloured.
Technical ability comes in many forms, and for the young members of Skills Canada Yukon, these abilities will help them gain apprenticeships, experience and a career that will make them love going to work every day.
Skills Canada Yukon is a small branch of a large pan-Canadian association, Skills Canada, an organization dedicated to developing and promoting trades and technology within Canadian youths.
Run primarily by volunteers, Skills Canada Yukon works with high schools to support and explore different trades that may assist students in finding out where they want to go after secondary school.
“We’re totally based on volunteers — we have around 300 at any given time,” says Skills Canada Yukon executive director Dan Curtis. The volunteers show real passion toward fostering positive attitudes toward trades and technology, and their drive is contagious with the students.
Although the program sees much success within schools, it isn’t solely based within them. “Sometimes the clubs are after school or on weekends, but the biggest boost we see in school attendance is when we offer an interesting trade to take part in — everyone comes when it’s welding day!” says Curtis.
The largest successful “footprint” the club sees is in smaller communities that may struggle with student attendance at school. The opportunity to attend a skills-based trade or technology class boosts interest and opens doors students may never have considered.
“I think the best part of Skills Canada Yukon is when we see kids find out they really love a certain trade, for example, culinary arts,” says Curtis. “It opens doors for them, and they can look forward to pursuing it at the post-secondary level.”
Without Skills Canada Yukon, the chance to experiment and discover hidden talents would remain a lesser priority to primarily academic achievement, Curtis adds.
Skills Canada Yukon approaches the issue of how to get students involved in the work world pragmatically. They run from 70 to 90 skills clubs all year round, dependent upon an army of volunteers to keep the program ticking along.
Teachers are an extremely important aspect to the club, as they make up a large number of volunteers generously giving time and expertise to the beginning trades and technology students.
There are competition opportunities, with Yukon residents from Mayo and other small communities medalling with stiff competition at national levels.
Using competition to develop talents also helps students step into the workplace confidently, using Skills Canada Yukon to network and land apprenticeships at workplaces like Duncan's Limited.
“It’s amazing what these kids learn. I’m humbled by their remarkable grasp of technology and their drive,” says Curtis.
There is no grade requirement to join a Skills Canada Yukon club, and it is a unique way to offer a hands-on opportunity to students who may not have a chance to discover their latent talents. Job opportunities abound for successful apprentices. “We will always need skilled tradespeople,” says Curtis.
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Klondike Nugget
