Ontario is trying to get more young people to consider careers in the skilled trades, and the Level Up! Skilled Trades Career Fair in Timmins held this week is giving students a firsthand look at what those jobs involve. Organizers said hands-on experiences are key to changing how young people view the skilled trades. “With youth, it needs to be eye-catching and fun and interactive,” said Scott Ravary, a senior manager with Ontario’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “So it’s not your traditional career fair. They’re not just out getting information and gathering flyers. They’re actually getting hands-on experience and getting to try some elements of the skilled trades.” Students can take part in interactive activities, speak with industry professionals, and get a better understanding of what’s involved in different careers. Virtual reality is also introducing students to some of the more unusual and demanding aspects of the trades, including boiler making. Tom McNeil, apprenticeship and training coordinator with Boilermakers Local 128, said the simulation takes students up the Sudbury Superstack, which is currently being demolished. “So they’re going up 1,000 feet, cutting off a bit of steel liner, and then they get to go on the very top at 1,400 feet and see what it’s like to stand on the outside of a tower,” said McNeil. For Felix Lachapelle, a Grade 8 student from Kirkland Lake, working at that height may not be for him. “It looks scary, and I don’t think I would do it, but it’s pretty cool,” said Lachapelle. The two-day event is part of a 12-city Ontario tour now in its fifth year. Organizers expect more than 1,500 students to attend the Timmins session. Stops in Thunder Bay and Sudbury are scheduled for the coming weeks.
