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Aboriginal Apprenticeship Initiatives community’s ability to pull together 12 dedicated people who were interested in apprenticeship, and had a desire to further their educations and obtain careers in the trades, also likely contributed to the course’s 100 per cent graduation rate, according to Macnab. “It’s a group effort. It’s the community. It’s the Joint Training Committee office…and then it was the instructor, who was key in this case. The students can really relate to him and he can relate to them.” Matthew Lerat, the course’s instructor, completed his journeyperson certification in 2014 and is only 29 himself. He works for Points Athabasca Contracting Ltd., and is currently contracted to K+S Potash. He was seconded to SIIT to teach the course at Cowessess; it was his first time teaching.
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The training was conveniently located for the participants. Apprentices living in Cowessess could walk, and it was still only a short drive for those who lived in the surrounding communities. Sangwais said his classmates’ similar backgrounds— combined with an engaging instructor—helped to make the course successful. “It was a really good time because everybody was First Nations. We were kind of similar to each other from living in the surrounding communities. Everybody got to know everybody. There was cooperation during the practicals. And when it came to study time, everyone would make sure everyone had the notes, that everyone had what everyone else had… It was just an awesome time.”
He said he shared his own personal experiences in the trades with the apprentices, and what paths he took to eventually obtain his certification. “I think I motivated them enough to keep them coming back every day and wanting to succeed. I’m a young guy. They could relate to that.”
Although he currently works for Sakimay First Nation, Sangwais is seeking out Carpentry positions in mines across the province, so he can start building up hours toward his apprenticeship. His long-term goal is to become a Journeyperson Carpenter. “I really feel like (Carpentry) is where I’m supposed to be because I’m pretty good at it…I can really see myself doing it for the rest of my life.”
Regina Apprentice wins Silver
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a non-profit organization in 1998, joining a group of Skills jurisdictions already in place all over the world. The organization continues to recruit apprentices to compete in Skills competitions. Spilsted said they’ve seen growth in the number of post-secondary competitors participating. From now until February 2017, Nelson will be “train(ing) like crazy” to prepare for the upcoming Skills Canada trials that will determine whether or not he qualifies for the WorldSkills competition. He’ll also be preparing for the competition through the tasks he performs daily at his job in a field he loves. He enjoys working with his hands and the fact that he doesn’t
have to sit at a desk all day. “I’m not a sit-down person. I have to be up on my feet, moving around. I’ve always enjoyed it, so I figure I might as well do it as a job.” Nelson said he’s known he wanted to be an Electrician since he attended high school at Winston Knoll Collegiate in Regina. “I decided to take that course and after that first week or so it was: ‘yeah, this is what I want to do with my life.’” For more information on Skills Canada Saskatchewan and Saskatchewan’s results at the Skills Canada National Competition, visit skillscanadasask.com.