What are different types of skilled trades?

There are hundreds of skilled trades opportunities available and your journeyperson status can take you in many directions. We spoke with different tradespeople to get you an inside look into their unique path.

• Automotive Service Technician Cristel Nelson – Cristel was discouraged from following a trades path but she was determined to become a mechanic. She attended the Motive Power Technician program at Fanshawe College which included a paid summer co-op placement at a dealership; after the school term, she was hired as an apprentice and still works there today (as a fully licensed AST).
• Carpenters Apprentices Delaney Krieger – Delaney was headed to university to take journalism but realized that would mean being at a desk all day so she started to research different careers. After meeting the Carpenters Union at a Build a Dream event, she decided this was what she really wanted to do.
• OYAP Coordinator Mark Brotherston – Mark was discouraged from entering the trades but it was his passion. After his Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship, he owned a shop, wrote a book, hosted a radio show, and decided that he wanted to help encourage youth to explore trades.
• Chef Noan Agtarap – As a woman of colour in the cooking industry, Noan is a rarity and she knows it. However, that background is the source of her passion for food.
• Red Seal General Machinist Rebecca Chenier – Rebecca’s life was transformed by the trades. Where is her Red Seal taking her and what advice does she have for students?
• Executive Director Rob Cattle – Rob became a tool & die maker and eventually owned his own shop. When his apprentice bought the tool shop, he became the head of the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (CTMA).
• Truck & Coach Apprentices Samridhi Sharma – Samridhi always knew that she wanted to do something hands-on and wanted to have a unique career that would always be in demand.
• Welding Apprentice Maddy Paulson – Maddy says it’s normal to feel scared and out of place at first. Her advice is to be a continuous learner that people rely on for information.

Where will apprenticeship take you?!