The CWB Association Welding Podcast
The CWB Association Welding Podcast
Skills Canada Series -Season 2- Episode 12 with Phil Polsom
The CWB Association has had the honor of working with Skills/Compétences Canada on a special Podcast Series interviewing WorldSkills Team Canada 2024 competitors and experts from across Canada to share their skills journey. Join us as we learn about their skills, celebrate their success, and cheer for our Team Canada as they compete on the world stage in Lyon, France on September 10-15, 2024.
Ever wondered how a national competition with over 500 competitors and 45 trades runs smoothly? Join us as we sit down with Phil Polsom, Chair of Skills Canada Saskatchewan and Treasurer of Skills/Compétences Canada’s Board of Directors, and uncover the behind-the-scenes efforts that make the Skills Canada National Competition 2024 in Québec City a roaring success. From the thrilling growth of the event to the intricate logistics of hosting it, Phil shares the dedication and teamwork of board members and volunteers who passionately contribute to this inspiring atmosphere.
Follow Skills/Compétences Canada:
Website: https://www.skillscompetencescanada.com/en/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/SkillsCanadaOfficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skillscompetencescanada/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/skills_canada
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skillscanada
There is no better time to be a member! The CWB Association membership is new, improved, and focused on you. We offer a FREE membership with a full suite of benefits to build your career, stay informed, and support the Canadian welding industry. https://www.cwbgroup.org/association/become-a-member
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All right, I check, check. Good. So I'm Max Duran. Max Duran, CWB Association Welding Podcast podcast podcast. Today we have a really cool guest welding podcast. The show is about to begin. Hello and welcome to this special edition of the CWB Association podcast. In collaboration with Skills Canada's competencies here in beautiful Quebec City, this week we have been interviewing competitors, Team Canada, board members, foundation members, students. We have been all over the place and we've been having a wonderful time. Like I've been saying all week, if you haven't been to a skills competition, especially a national, you've got to check it out, and next year's is going to be just so awesome and we'll talk a little bit about that. But right now we got Phil here, Phil Polsom, who is our chair of Skills Canada, Saskatchewan, my home province. Phil, how are you doing? I'm doing great, Thank you, yeah, How's this week been for you?
Speaker 2:This has been a very hectic week, lots of things on the go and, yeah, it's just a. It's always just an incredible opportunity to be here and be part of this amazing organization.
Speaker 1:Well, and you know, the thing is is is that skills?
Speaker 2:this is like the marquee event, right, like for the year, but really there's lots of marquee events yeah, I, you know, I think, uh, I think every, every province does puts on these amazing events in there to get folks to this competition. Yeah, and this is this obviously is the pinnacle. This is where they're working to get their time in here, and so, yeah, lots of events that have happened provincially and each of those organizations in each province just work so hard to make this happen.
Speaker 1:You know at a national level, when you look at skills and what they do, I think I heard 57 trades are here in this build or in in this national something like 800. Can I heard numbers right? Yeah, now there's probably a desire for skills national to grow every time there's a, there's a national event. This is huge. Winnipeg was huge last year. Like I mean, how do you keep growing? Like what's the? Is there a limit to the growth of this amazing thing?
Speaker 2:yeah, no it, you're right it. Every year it grows and, uh, with that growth there creates new challenges because, uh, the facilities becomes the real issue for us how do you have this many trades and this big event in certain venues right? So it becomes a bit more challenging for the amazing team over there at Skills Competence National.
Speaker 1:Office.
Speaker 2:They really have their work cut out for them every year finding that facility that's going to fit and make it work.
Speaker 1:They really have their work cut out for them every year, finding that facility that's going to fit and make it work Well, and there's not a long list of places that can accommodate either, based on weather, location, square footage, power requirements, you know, ventilation requirements. I mean, there's so many moving pieces.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's, there's probably five or six um venues in Canada. That can you know, that can realistically accommodate what's what's going and, uh, you know it's. It's as it continues to grow, it's going to continue to put pressure on, you know, the organization to organization to come up with new and innovative ways. But I mean that is the Skills way right. Come up with new and innovative ways to make sure that this feature event for the organization continues to be as successful as it has been.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and now your role as the chair of the skills canada saskatchewan board. You know what? What does that entail? What is your job within the skills saskatchewan group?
Speaker 2:well, that's, that's a good question. We you know, some days I'm I'm not really sure, there's a, there's a whole bunch of things that happen. But you know, our, our job is to is really to work with our, our, our skilled saskatchewan team and help set the goals for the, you know, for the five years and for the next five years strategies yeah do strategic planning with them and you know it's to provide that help and assistance when needed to.
Speaker 2:You know, to make these events happen and you know, in typical saskatchewan style and I'm sure it's in others, but in typical saskatchewan style, we have we have just an amazing board that um. They just like to get in there and get their hands dirty all the time, and so they're. When an event comes, it's not unusual for them to be um, you know, out setting up booths and hauling chairs doing what they got to do.
Speaker 2:Do what you got to do to make it happen. That's what happens when you have a small organization like that well, even in the big level.
Speaker 1:Yep, you know I'm watching luke and patrick hauling carts and chairs and cones and and you're talking top brass of the, of the, of the national, you know uh leadership team out here on the floor with their vests on, running around taking care of the everyday job, which I think is such an example of the skills grit, because in the skilled trades no job is too big and no job is too small yeah, and I I think that's what.
Speaker 2:What makes it such a special organization is, you know, I don't think anybody considers themselves above being there on the floor. And we love the skilled trades, we have a passion for doing what we do, and you cannot come to one of these events and not be just in awe of the amazing competitors.
Speaker 1:It's inspiring yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know, when we look at the all the different volunteers that come to these events, the coaches, the National and Provincial Technical Committee, the parents, the students like everybody just pours their heart into this and you know there's, so it is. It's really an amazing opportunity to be a part of this. So, yeah, there's never a time where anybody says oh no, that's not my job to do.
Speaker 2:It's just what do you need me to do? Next, the jobs I think I look back to a few years ago in Saskatoon, when we had our provincial competition. Yeah, I remember, and we had several of our board members, including our board chair at the time, lorena step up and start serving food at the line, because they needed help.
Speaker 1:I remember we were having to run cables because of power issues.
Speaker 2:Everything.
Speaker 1:All hands on deck.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly. So, yeah, it's really cool to see that stuff now, what about the kids?
Speaker 1:you see, like there's always a very special aspect of skills provincially, locally, and then at the national level. It's about bringing in those young kids, those elementary school kids, to come and experience it. And you know all the vendors and sponsors that are here. You know we bring the swag, we bring the stickers, we bring the vendors and sponsors that are here. You know we bring the swag, we bring the stickers, we bring the stuff. And that's not for the adults, that's for the kids, right? How important is it, as a part of that skills, you know, mandate, to have these young kids come through here?
Speaker 2:Oh, I think it's critical. Somebody asked me the other day about you know why is it? You know that this age group of students that are coming to see this event and you know that's an interesting question when you look at you know grade 10, 11, 12 they're already starting their own trajectory they already kind of know where they're going.
Speaker 2:so by by working with some of the younger grades and bringing them here, you're exposing them to some opportunities that they might not know exist, and whether it's a provincial competition, whether it's a triad trade, whether it's the national competition, getting them early enough that they say, know, I didn't know that was something I could do. Right, and so I. I just think it's the so critical to give them the options when they're in that age and they're starting to think about what's their journey going to look like.
Speaker 1:Now, what about the parents? You know, cause that's a challenge, you know. And what do we do to bring them in? How do we open their eyes? Because, you know, I'm sure kids will come through here. We had lots to come and stop and watch the podcast and thought this was cool. And, you know, we're kind of getting them all hyped up and worked up and then they get home and say, you know, mom, dad, I saw this welding thing and mom and dad are like no, no, no, that's not a good job.
Speaker 2:You university to be a whatever. What do we do to start twisting that narrative? Yeah, and I I think we need to highlight the, the importance of the trades. Um, you know, I I think that we spent years and years, uh, certainly, uh, I'm I'm kind of old and so I'm not that far behind you, but so you know in in my generation it was about going to university, right, yeah, that was the push.
Speaker 2:Our parents said you've got to go to university if you want to make something yourself. Trades was really an option, and so I think that there needs to be more awareness built in for parents on what a career in the skilled trades would be like. So, yeah, you know, I don't know what the answer is For me it was when I was a kid. My dad was jack of all trades and master of none.
Speaker 2:But there wasn't anything that he wouldn't try, and he always said what's the worst you can do? He said and I live by this to this day my dad always said to me. He said you know, there's a whole lot of people out there that are a lot smarter than I am, and so, no matter how bad I break that, they're going to be able to fix it.
Speaker 1:It might cost me more money in the end, but he said it's worth a try, just to get there, and so and learn it yeah.
Speaker 2:So I think that you know parents need to to encourage that kind of thinking. I think they need to encourage kids that to be out there, um, be out there figuring out how to build something or how to repair something, and not being afraid to do that. Kids today have probably such a big advantage over when I was a kid, because now you can pretty much Google anything.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the information's all there Teach them to be fearless, like teach them to try, and you know what? I think that's really part of what trades does, is it? You know it's a bunch of fearless people that are saying, yeah, I can do that.
Speaker 1:I can fix anything.
Speaker 2:Like you. Yeah, it doesn't scare us to try that.
Speaker 1:No. Now what's your connection to the trades you know like? Feel like you didn't fall into this chair out of nowhere.
Speaker 2:You weren't out writing novels in the bermuda when you decided to join skills I have, uh, I don't know, I I've, I've said my dad was my inspiration for being in the trades. I don't, I don't, I'm again, I'm a master.
Speaker 1:I'm a jack of all trades master of none.
Speaker 2:In 1983, when I was in grade 11, I was struggling in school. Yeah, I just. That was not me.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:I had no interest and some absolutely brilliant human being decided that in the Palm, manitoba, I could go to Kuwait Community College in grade 11 and take half a semester and take a trade. And that was my start In grade 11 and 12, which helped me pass my grade 12. I took automotive mechanics and that just got me in interest in the trade. Yeah, I every and I've done all kinds of different things. I took my fifth class engineer ticket, um, from Alberta Institute of Technology.
Speaker 2:I learned how to run equipment. I worked underground for almost 18 years in a bot ash mine and I just have been in trades have been just a part of my life forever, and so getting involved with skills in 2010 I was, that was my first introduction into skill and it just clicked. It was a perfect way to continue to, you know, give back to the the things that I love most, and that's, that's great now, what made you decide to get involved as a board member?
Speaker 1:You know, like you said, you joined Skills with 2010. I assume that was either a mentor, a volunteer, a coach or whatever. What were you doing initially? And then, why get into the board game? Oh, in 2010,.
Speaker 2:I had just moved to Saskatoon, I just had changed jobs and my uh, donovan elliott, a name that everybody in skills- will know, because donovan. You know he was a big personality and he approached me and said hey, you got to come and experience it. So um went to prince albert, attended my first uh, provincial, provincial competition and, and oh, I was like it just wow, like that just blew me away, and so, um the next year I I harassed everybody until I could get myself a position on the board and I just yeah it just cause I, I just wanted to be a part of something that was as special as skills.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I have. I've attended just about every national competition since then.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:And for the first time ever, I get to go to Worlds.
Speaker 1:I was about to ask. I just made the note here.
Speaker 2:I'm going to Worlds in Lyon, France to represent the national. I am truly honored to represent Canada and Skills Competence Canada at the World competition in france. I I can hardly wait to see that. Let that next level of competition, that's. That's there and so yeah I've got.
Speaker 1:I've gone to experience worlds as a, as a mentor to a welder. You know, I went with adam sebastian to kazan and um, it's like 10 times this, which is even hard to wrap your head around.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, I'm like I have just the cooking was 50 kitchens.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Like are you kidding me.
Speaker 2:I have no idea what to expect. I am that, but I am so excited to have that opportunity to go and attend and and be a part of that. So so, yeah, I I didn't, you know, prior to 2010, I didn't know about skill, and so you know, even our first trip into Prince Albert to attend skills, we kept asking people where's skills at Where's?
Speaker 1:skills. Yeah, where is it? Nobody knew.
Speaker 2:And so after I experienced it, I said, well, we really got to get this name out in this province. Yeah, because it's just an amazing opportunity.
Speaker 1:Well, in Saskatchewan, for the size of the province and the population and the training centers we represent. Well, oh yeah, at the national level, we really do. We almost always have a horse in the race for graphic design. Our welders are always in that top three, top five. Our machinists have done extremely well. Like we're there for a little province, we're there, oh you know.
Speaker 2:And yes, yeah, I credit the kids for all the amazing work that they do and stuff. But the coaches, the instructors, the teachers, the technical committees, the parents, everybody just puts so much work into that. You know, I love listening to our PTCs, ntcs, and it's because they're so passionate about what they do and they put. You know, a lot of that time that they invest is on their own time, it's personal, it's volunteer time, and so, you know, the commitment to skills and to the kids is, I mean, it's just inspiring, that's. It's really amazing.
Speaker 1:Now, when we talk about inspiring and commitment to kids, there's a, there's something that I know that is close to your heart in terms of, you know, outreach, and and and target, and that's, you know, the indigenous peoples of Canada and how to work with the indigenous peoples and support them and really give them the opportunity to be on just the same level field as everybody else. Right, you know why do you have that connection, you know where did it come from and and I guess, what are you trying to do? What's going on?
Speaker 2:You know, oh, boy, you get me started on that Cause. It's, it's a deep part of my heart. I started running um programs about seven years ago. Yeah and uh I I approach it in a very different way. I work right in the community.
Speaker 2:You know, always got to work around the noise yeah, yeah, that's the way it is you know what I um, I go into the and I listen to the people that are there and I talk to them and I hear what they're saying and I say, what can I do for you? And you know they I'm running a program right now that people said you've got to be out of your mind like there is no way that you're going to do that.
Speaker 2:but I have this amazing group of people with touchwood tribal agencies training and employment group, harvey bitter Bitternose and his team there. They approached me and said, hey, we want to build a tiny home, and so I said, yeah, let's do it. And so that program expanded from that to building, to renovating homes and doing all that, and people said, well, there's no way you can do that all with kids that haven't had a chance and been in the trades and I said, well, I approach it in a from a different way yeah, I believe in them.
Speaker 2:Yeah, if you, if you've never had anybody believe in you, never had anybody that said you can do anything you want yeah I was fortunate. My my dad said I could do whatever I wanted. Yeah, put mine, put mine to it, but if you've never had that, if you've never had that positive reinforcement, you don't even know.
Speaker 1:You don't know what it is. Yeah, you don't even know what you don't know. No, yeah.
Speaker 2:So I was. There's one of the young men in the program, Him and I were talking and I said, man Brandon, and I really believe in you. I said you know, you are an amazing young man. I said I don't know if anybody's ever told you this before, but you have so much potential. I see a leader in you. I watch the other students around you and I see how they look at you as a leader. And a week later his mom, he talked to me and said, um, he really needed that.
Speaker 2:Yeah nobody's ever told him that before yeah and I think to myself what, what a, what a terrible like she has. Yeah, but who listens to mom, right? Yeah? Yeah but she, she, she said nobody's ever said that to him before, nobody's ever told him that he mattered, yeah, and that was potential. And she said he was like walking on air and I.
Speaker 1:So again, I think that comes out of um that positive reinforcement that that uplifting and you know I I love working with indigenous communities. I'm, my family is indigenous from south america and we we have actually this chilean indigenous community is very tied to the saskatchewan. They've done programming together. But it's that idea of you know, we can't fix everything at once. You just can't fix everything at once.
Speaker 1:So let's start with some of the the easy things, like financial. The trades give you the ability to be financially secure at a very minimal investment. Often you can earn while you learn. You may not even have to pay any money at all. Okay, that's a good deal for anybody. No one's going to spit at that. So that's one piece. The next piece is the self-respect and the confidence. When you have been in a situation where there's not a lot of success, uh, roles and mentorship around you, you don't know what you can reach to. You don't give yourself a very high bar and and I don't like the thought that you need to give someone a lower bar so they can reach it the bar is high. Help them get there. Don't try to lower the bar, because it doesn't mean the same then. No, well, that's exactly it.
Speaker 2:So Could I have built some garden sheds. Could I have you know built?
Speaker 1:some Down somehow.
Speaker 2:But again, I believe that if you set the bar High, people will reach for that. If you set it low, they will only get over that, and so by setting it high, they have reached for it. I mean, we have Natasha.
Speaker 1:You want to have the support there to help.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we have Natasha, she said when she started that program she couldn't even hold her arms above her head because some of the tools were heavy. She textured the entire ceiling of one of the tiny homes that they were wild yeah and so you know, and that was the first time she'd ever done it, and so it was just about. You know, we try and drum into from our way of amazing instructors and we just just encourage, don't't let them do that.
Speaker 2:Build the confidence yeah, build their confidence and Kuwakatoos First Nation. I mean, they're incredible Like this was the first program that I ran that I didn't have an employer at the start, because they said we hope that all these young people will stay and continue to do the work that they've been taught, and so some of them will. They will all have job opportunities if they want them, but the hope is that they will stay and rebuild their community and continue the they've. They've done just amazing jobs at and you.
Speaker 1:We've seen that even here with skills national yeah, right like we have the, the, the I forget what it was called but the indigenous area where they show, like you know, traditional skills. We did the same thing at canwell, in our conference in monkton, where we brought indigenous people to show the traditional skill sets, because skills are skills, you know. People got to survive, people got to eat, people got to build, and it's not like it got invented by one people, it was in.
Speaker 2:Everyone had their version of it around the world and and I loved seeing that connection- I I absolutely loved standing over there, the, and he was sewing some, uh, some things that they were putting together there, but she showed us a video and kids in in grade two that are that are being taught their their traditional trade right there how.
Speaker 2:This is how you do it this is how you start to finish and they're build, they're making these beautiful, beautiful things, and so you know I think that's part of what needs to get done is you, you? You just need to encourage them at a very young age here. You need to be not afraid to do these things. Let's teach them not only those traditional things. Let's teach them some of these other other things that will help get them to the next level yeah, well, you know, let's you know.
Speaker 1:We're coming to the end of the interview. They're wrapping up here. This is last day. Tomorrow is the, the, the ceremonies with the announcements of all the winners. There's going to be judging, going on late into the evening tonight all over this building we got to pack up this whole building tonight somehow and into the morning. This is going to be nuts for you, you know, with with being on the board and being a part of skills you know, and with worlds coming up, you know what's your future look like with this. Are you, are you going to stick this out until you just can't anymore? Is this, is this your? Is this your stick?
Speaker 2:I will be here until they tell me to go otherwise, because I don't usually have the sense to leave when I'm not wanted. So I love this organization and everything it stands for People. They, you know, I just I can't imagine a time where I wouldn't be here.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I watch, you know. I see all the amazing people around me that have been part of Skills for 20 years. 20, 30. Yeah, like they've just been here forever and yeah, I don't plan on going anywhere.
Speaker 1:Good. Well, thank you so much, phil, for the work you do. I know you're a great person for me to talk to and reach out to. You're there for the province. I love skills and I support it as much. I know I'm really pushing CWB more and more into skills all the time, so you know I'm looking for a long, long-term partnership with you guys and yourself.
Speaker 2:Well, thanks for inviting me and I really appreciate the opportunity, love working with you and, yeah, looking forward to continuing it on.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, for all the people that have been following along with the podcast, this is the final episode of the live shows here in the week. As you can tell, it is madness in here. There's carts and grinders and welders, but we're wrapping it up, but there's still going to be a few online ones and make sure you catch all of these. We're going to have over 15 episodes released as a part of the Skills Canada special with CWB, and we're covering all the trades and there's so much wonderful information and if you haven't been a part of any skills, reach out. They're in every province and every territory. There's ways to be involved. There's ways to sponsor, to mentor and we really want you to be a part of our teams. So stay tuned for the next episode and can't wait to see you. We hope you enjoy the show.
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