THUNDER BAY – Many local high school students are got the chance to weld at summer camp over the weekend.
In an effort to introduce students from ages 12-15 to the trade, the CWB Welding Foundation hosted the Mind over Metal summer welding camp early last week at Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute.
Chair of technology Dan Turk the students have a lot of time to figure out careers, but if a few of them choose to take up welding, that would be a win for him.
“There is a need for the skilled trades. This is an avenue for kids to be successful,” Turk said, “Maybe it’s welding, maybe it’s engineering, but it could lead to a career post-secondary.”
Jesse Coates has yet to attend his first day of high school, but he came to camp with an interest in mechanical engineering.
“Welding is a huge field in mechanical engineering,” Coates said. “I saw this as an opportunity to learn to weld in that field, because in engineering there’s a lot you can learn to weld from airplanes to cars and machines like that.”
The camp was open to students in more than 80 cities across Canada.
“The whole idea is to get kids interested in the skills trades,” Turk said. “It’s a very popular program.”
He added the popularity of the program has led to oversubscription in recent years.
Students work on safety training, hand tools, MIG welding, plasma cutters, and stick welding throughout the week.
“They have some pretty good hand-eye coordination,” Turk said. “Maybe it’s gaming. I don’t know.”
