(Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds)

By Dylana Kneeshaw

TRY-A-TRADE / SKILLS CANADA

Students trying trades, and testing skills at Thompson Rivers University

Mar 6, 2020 | 4:06 PM

KAMLOOPS — Organized chaos could be heard throughout the TRU Trades building on Friday. The university was flooded with several hundred students trying out trades, and putting skills to the test in a competition.

Canada Skills Competition and Try-A-Trade coordinator Pat Barringer says roughly 300 students from 12 different schools came to TRU for Try-A-Trade Day, which allows young people to experience skills for themselves.

“Everybody imagines what you do if yo’ure a plumber or a welder, but they actually get to see what you do. And it fires some people up. They realize that it’s not just plunging dirty toilets — there’s actually more to it than that. So it’s actually an eye-opener for them. It’s very good.”

By bringing in elementary and early secondary school aged students, TRU Trades and Technology Dean Baldev Pooni says they’re aiming to build an early interest in trades, and show students how vast the career opportunities can be.

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“No other university, research university does anything with trades and technology of this kind of programming and this kind of magnitude. We’re really proud to do that, and to be able to fill a community need. Both from a student perspective, also from an employer perspective, and thirdly actually from giving back to the community as well.”

Try-A-Trade was held on the same day as the regional Skills Canada competition so younger students could watch more seasoned competitors do their thing.

“We do very well,” says Barringer. “We’ve actually been to nationals, and won gold at nationals. We’ve had three guys actually go to the Worlds competition and compete at Worlds.”

The junior skills side of the competition brought in students from Grades 6 through 9, while the older category featured senior high school students, and university aged apprentices.

Regional winners will move forward to the provincial Skills Canada event in April, and should their workmanship prevail, they have a chance to go to nationals in May.