From changing tires to welding, Ottawa students get hands on at trades summer camp

Students in Ottawa are experiencing first-hand what it’s like to work in skilled trades and tech through a week-long summer camp. CTV’s Peter Szperling reports.

Students in Ottawa are experiencing first-hand what it’s like to work in skilled trades and technologies through a week-long summer camp.

Skills Ontario hosts camps throughout the summer across the province, where grades 7 to 9 students learn about opportunities, build skills, and perhaps become inspired to pursue further training to work in the trades,

“We want to encourage and empower students to join the skilled trades,” Shelley O’Rourke, program facilitator with Skills Ontario, told CTV News Ottawa.

“This camp is a collaboration between Skills Ontario, and this one (in Ottawa) is at Algonquin College, where the kids who are going into Grades7 and 9 get to come in and get to test out the skill trades, see what they’re about, see why they might want to go into it as a future career.”

Throughout the week, students learn about different trades, says O’Rourke.

“We started Monday with carpentry, Tuesday was electrical, Wednesday was welding and then (Thursday) automotive. So, we kind of get to see all four sectors of the skilled trades, and get to see a little bit of, of different types of careers.”

On Thursday, CTV News joined the camp as students spent time in the automotive technology area of Algonquin College. Students learned about the shop, then were split into three areas --- learning how to change a tire, make a key chain from a piece of metal with their name inscribed, and about how the electrical systems work in a car.

Camp participant Jacob Spencer just finished Grade 8, and says he already knows he wants to be a mechanic.

“I saw, like, car videos, and I’m like, I want to do that.”

He was one of the first in his group to jump at the chance of lifting a car using a jack, and changing tires – including using pneumatic tools. He participated throughout the week at the camp.

“It’s just you do different things, and you don’t know what you really do until you try it.,” Spencer said.

Fiona MacGillivray just completed Grade 9, and says she’s learned “a lot of cool stuff,” during the week.

“Learned how to weld and I did some woodworking,” MacGillivray said.

“I think the camp’s been really good. It’s a really good way to spend my time in the last few weeks of summer,” says Ore Rotifa, who just completed Grade 8.

The students received instruction from staff at Algonquin College.

“It’s great seeing this age of students actually being engaged in this, and looking at the new generation of technicians and people coming through,” says Jeff Newsom, Automotive Program Coordinator at Algonquin College.

He says there “absolutely” is a demand for jobs in this field.

“When I began my journey as an apprentice, we were told there was a shortage. And that was a while ago. And that shortage is here now. It’s definitely here. And I, we I don’t think we can train them fast enough,” Newsom said.