The CWB Association Welding Podcast
The CWB Association Welding Podcast
Skills Canada Series - Season 3 - Episode 9 with Michelle Skelly
The CWB Association is thrilled to collaborate with Skills/Compétences Canada on a special podcast series. This year, we are excited to interview the Skills Canada Executive Directors from across Canada. Tune in as we explore their skills journey and commitment to promoting skilled trades in their provinces and territories!
What makes Skills Canada British Columbia unique is its commitment to balancing high-profile competitions with genuine grassroots initiatives. Michelle Skelly, Executive Director, shares how regional competitions serve as gateways for youth in remote communities to discover trades careers they might never have considered. From northern territories requiring winter mountain crossings to island communities dependent on ferry schedules, her team navigates geographical challenges to ensure equal access to opportunities.
Website: https://skillscanada.bc.ca/
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 another edition of the CWB Association podcast. My name is Max Ron and this week we are going to be here in beautiful Regina, Saskatchewan, and we are recording editions with the executive directors of all the skills people across Canada. Now this has been super fun. I've been learning about all the provinces and territories and today we have Michelle Skelly from beautiful British Columbia. How are you doing?
Speaker 2:Great. Thank you. It's so exciting to be here. I'm like finally see everybody in person and see it all happening, after so much you know behind the scenes to get it going.
Speaker 1:All the buildup, all the buildup of all the years. That's right Now. How long have you been executive director in BC?
Speaker 2:So it'll be just coming up to two years, so I'm one of the newbies. Yeah, you're pretty fresh.
Speaker 1:I mean, I've had everything from six months or three months, I think, for Nunavut, to 27 years.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, there's a broad spectrum of us all. I have been with SkillsBC, however, for just over 10 years. Okay, in what capacity have you been working with?
Speaker 1:them. Oh, so I think, as we call it, we are all the jack of all trades.
Speaker 2:So I was doing Inspire presentations, classroom presentations, social media communications. I come from a communications background as well. I was doing everything organizing the competition and program director. Director programs as well doing our programs. So I had been doing dabbling in pretty much everything in skills we see before this position, so it was a good transition. So what pulled?
Speaker 1:you into the skills world in the first place? Do you have a trades background, or what is it that led you into that world?
Speaker 2:You know, I actually wish I had a trades background, because you know, as I get so many people saying if I had only known you know, that this existed, but I actually came from a communications background, so I have a degree in communications from Simon Fraser University.
Speaker 1:That'll serve you very well in this role as ED, though.
Speaker 2:It has and it served me well. I actually came from prior to Skills. I was with what's called the Resource Training Organization, okay, and we oversaw the resource sector trades at BC.
Speaker 1:So from mining, shipbuilding, oil and gas, pulp and paper, solid wood utilities, and so all the trades under the welding was and paper, solid wood utilities, and so all the trades under the welding was one of them.
Speaker 2:Good, but we're everywhere yeah absolutely, and so we worked with those sectors and those employers to promote trades, careers within those sectors. So we would work on the programming and we were kind of the umbrella of. At the time was called the Industry Training Authority in BC. They're now called Skilled Trades BC.
Speaker 1:Right, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so so a lot of that was doing. You know a lot of things that Skills BC does as well, which was promoting the trades to youth, making sure the awareness was out there, doing some activities, you know, bringing industry in. For instance, we worked with Department of National Defense in Esquimalt, bringing the kids there and the youth and giving them a chance to see what are these trades behind the scenes.
Speaker 2:Get behind it, yeah, and same with, you know, C-SPAN shipyards, going onto the shipyards and seeing what's happening here and there's huge hires for the area Absolutely Wow.
Speaker 1:Like the, you know the welders, you know what's happening here and there's huge hires for the area, absolutely Wow.
Speaker 2:Like the, you know the welders, you know they're seeing them in action. And or tech, up up in trail, you know seeing them again getting behind the scenes and seeing what's happening up there. So so that was a good segue into SkillsBC where again we just you know we're our focus is all of the the um provinces and territories are is to to promote the skills, skill, trades and technologies and provide the opportunity around competition and programs to showcase all the opportunities you know within bc yeah, and you can hear all the kids coming in now.
Speaker 1:You know this is exciting here come all the high school kids, which is great. Now, when you came in as ed, what was the learning curve like? Because I mean it's kind of like drinking from the fire hose coming into the skills family yeah because there's. It's not just one trade or a couple trades, it's all the trades, right, and then the connections and all that stuff, the acronyms, the terminology, the language. What was that like for you?
Speaker 2:Coming into this role from my previous role was. You know definitely a learning curve, but on the other hand, because I'd been with skills for a long time, I didn't know the acronyms.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and you're right, there are a lot of acronyms. There's a lot of acronyms, yeah.
Speaker 2:And you know for new people coming in.
Speaker 1:And you know for new people coming in.
Speaker 2:We just need a little tutorial on acronyms alone. But yeah, so that. But on the other hand, I had been working with the ED previous ED on sponsorship, on programming on. You know I had a lot of the contacts as well and I knew a lot of the people. So there was definitely a huge advantage to having already been working within skills for a long time.
Speaker 1:Yeah to having already been working within skills for a long time. Yeah, and what was the first things you noticed when you came into skills in terms of wanting for you to bring your vision? Every ED that comes in has an idea of what they'd like to see, what they'd like to grow. What were kind of like the first things on your list?
Speaker 2:I would say again, coming from a previous role in the resource sector, trades too, and I think really showcasing the student, like I guess what you would, we would say is we've talked about this, you know, with our board and with our staff is we're all about competitions, but we're also about grassroots and about providing that awareness to students all across the province that you know might not get the opportunity to see what, what's available out there. So so kind of a balance between the grassroots and getting you know tools in their hands.
Speaker 2:Organic, yeah, yeah and that's why we really focus on our regional competitions across the province as well. I know not every member organization does regionals, but we really feel that's important and so that we can get to, you know, up north and on the island.
Speaker 1:And you get more people's eyes on it, right, yeah?
Speaker 2:exactly and then not to say you know, we're all about the competitions as well, and so we kind of balance that between let's get you know tools in hands of middle school students, get them doing middle school competitions and things like that, but also focus on you know the skills of competing as well. So I think really the balance was also getting in the classrooms. We were doing Inspire presentations.
Speaker 1:And the Inspire are the Indigenous-based presentations, aren't they?
Speaker 2:No, they're not Indigenous, but some of the programs like when we're up in fort nate, fort nelson or fort st john, there's a high indigenous population yeah, okay so, for instance, in fort nelson we did have an indigenous presenter okay, up there and that worked really well. And just again, um, sometimes it's the teachers that aren't aware as well, right?
Speaker 1:so those counselors, teacher network.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so the career educators, you know, getting the awareness to them too. And the teachers, because sometimes we go in the class and some of the teachers were like I didn't know, no, there's no, and you know, the career educators are directing them to maybe university degrees and things like that where we're providing that opportunity that you don't necessarily have to go get a four-year degree and you know all those key facts that apprenticeship is earn while you learn. You're not having a huge student debt, your um freedom.
Speaker 1:You know like just that financial freedom is huge right now yeah, like I one of my daughters, or sorry, one of my son's friends was over and was like the, they're millennials, and they're, I guess they're like young millennials and uh, and they're like, oh, you know, today's kids will never buy a house. I'm like, yeah, be a welder.
Speaker 2:Exactly what are you talking about?
Speaker 1:That's like uh yeah, you can buy a house Like you, just pick the right trade Right.
Speaker 2:Right, absolutely.
Speaker 1:You know, I've.
Speaker 2:I've directed my neighbors kids as well, they're that, you know, come out of high high school. They're not quite sure and I said, and one of them's gone into um electrical and another one into refrigeration you know, that's a big one that pays well and and we need refrigeration as well. So so there's, you know, yeah, there's definitely tons of opportunities and we've just really want to spread the word of of that these opportunities exist and we work with, you know, a lot of post-secondary across the whole province, because we're very spread out.
Speaker 2:We have 13 regions in BC that we deal with, so we have 13 regionals.
Speaker 1:That's a lot.
Speaker 2:That's a lot to coordinate it's so you know we're super busy all the time, but you know January to March is particularly busy with our regionals, which really mostly focuses in March.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So no, no downtime really January, March, april.
Speaker 1:May, june, july, august, July, august, september. It's it's.
Speaker 2:It's yeah, it's one of those industries. I think that probably all the member organizations have talked about that, you know it's. It's kind of one of those jobs where it's a build up, build up, build up and maybe a little bit of downtime, but it's not your kind of nine to five just no, there's definitely like timing, the portions of the year that are like very specific goals that you need to work towards right exactly and and plus you're working around school systems and semester systems and you know different places have different times and the pd availability of the teachers and there's a lot that you try to line up to make everyone have access right oh, absolutely yeah, it's and and again.
Speaker 2:Back to those teachers too, is where you know we realize the getting the teachers to our provincials, to our regions, to those inspire class and presentations, because they're often the people that are directing the students and you want to inspire them absolutely, and the parents so we really push, you know, promoting the to get the parents out to provincials and and come and spectate.
Speaker 2:This year we had, uh, I think we had over seven, yeah seven, 7500 spectators. So for, for, like, that's our highest sort of year that we think we have on record, and we had over 90 buses of students come in, so you know, very, very exciting provincials this year, and here we are now at nationals and we've got 61 competitors here. So again you know higher than we've had over the past few years.
Speaker 1:I was going to ask you what's your full team, what's everyone that's here?
Speaker 2:You mean which competitions?
Speaker 1:No, you've got 61 competitors. Then you've got staff, you've got mentors. Oh, right?
Speaker 2:So yeah, we have four staff. And then we have 40, I think we have 106 of us all in total, that's a big team, yeah 106 with us all in total, total. So we have the delegates. Yeah, so a lot of you know people from the college coaches, chaperones, judges uh, you know a whole gang of us yeah, yeah, but it's great, it's, it's, it's so exciting and that everybody is.
Speaker 2:It's just amazing. And and the volunteers that we have, all that they do we, you know, like all of us, we couldn't do it without all of them. And it really does take a village to put on a provincial or put on a regional and uh, you know we're a small, we're a small staff, we're just four, right now so you know, we certainly can't do it all and we really really appreciate that that's amazing.
Speaker 1:The hard work, that that everybody does now, in terms of you know, getting everyone, everyone together and coming to nationals you know that process because you cover, like you said, 13 regions has got to be a formidable task. It is a formidable task.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, you know, we close the doors to provincials and everyone says, oh, take a breather. We're like, yeah, no no we're off to the races now, and now she's, and we've done a few new things which have really worked well, because we're so spread out, we can't have, you know, team meetings together before we fly, wherever we're flying to every year, so this year, or sorry we started last year.
Speaker 2:Uh, zoom sessions um just to front load everybody, stay high, have everyone introduce themselves, you know, and just start to gather and give them all the information that they need to know um, because there is a lot of information, then they're excited, they're nervous, um and uh. So if we can, you know, give them all that information, we can answer all the questions they have. And it's funny because, um, and the first Zoom, none of them would put their cameras on.
Speaker 2:And we were like you know, come and put your cameras on, introduce yourself and very slowly like the next Zoom meeting we had a few and then we had our meeting here in the morning and they were, you know. I said, well, no, putting your cameras on, and now we're here face to face. We're here in real life, and so it's, but it's you. You know, for some of them.
Speaker 1:This is the first time they've ever flown. I was gonna ask you. You know, because you know when I talk to the territories especially, you have a whole group of people that have never some. One of the great statements I heard is that one of the competitors from nunavut had never seen a tree right, because they're from way up north, like permafrost, yeah, and so in bc, obviously it's not that remote, but there's some very remote areas of bc absolutely right so you probably have some people who've never, you know, left the province, never flown.
Speaker 1:How do you start easing the nerves? How do you keep everyone relaxed, yet pumped up?
Speaker 2:how do we do that well again with these zoom sessions and and calls and and you know, just, actually one of the things that's worked really well is, you know, sometimes we get repeat competitors and then we even have people which we have come full circle. They're now judges, they're instructors, but they were a competitor before.
Speaker 1:Actually, we have Shoshana Blair, who was an alumni and we have her full time on our team now.
Speaker 2:good, so just giving them reassurance and messages like, hey, I've been there, I've been through what you're about to go through. You know I'm here for you this is what it was like. You're gonna have memories to last a lifetime yeah and you know you're gonna look back and, no matter how you do, um, you got here, you got to nationals and that, in and of itself, is just spectacular.
Speaker 1:I mean this you will, you know, you put that on your resume and you are going to be, you know, set for life, basically all these kids, all these competitors I shouldn't say kids, because some are older, but all these competitors they're gonna be fine, not only just because they're at this level of talent, but because they're at this level of maturity with in terms of being out there making themselves vulnerable. You know that that is a huge step in professionalism.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and to have the capability to be, you know, calm under pressure, to communicate with new people that you've never met, to go to a new place, and you know, we talk about all those skills for success with them adaptability, adapting to an environment, adapting to the tools, um, all those things that that we, you know, covering the skills for success too.
Speaker 2:It's just yeah, like you know, you say, no matter how you do and no matter what the outcome is, you have taken a huge step to advancing your yourself and your career and you know, you know you're going to do amazing out there.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Now what's your first impressions of Regina? You know you're coming in. Have you been to Regina before?
Speaker 2:Years and years ago.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this didn't exist, you know what do? You think of the venue? What do you think of the town?
Speaker 2:Venue is amazing. I think everybody's done such a great job here. I I really think it's a great venue, the town, you know what it's. I was pleasantly surprised, I have to say, with a few things um at the well, the weather's spectacular so you can't.
Speaker 1:We're really blessed here. I've had a few people comment on the weather being like I haven't seen a cloud all week. I'm like you're not going to see one until september. It's, that's saskatchewan, yeah, and I love that.
Speaker 2:So it's uh it's know, waxana Lake. Did I say that?
Speaker 1:Waxana Waxana yeah.
Speaker 2:That park is amazing. We went there yesterday and went to somewhere to eat on the lake.
Speaker 1:Did you go to Willow the Bar?
Speaker 2:Willow restaurant. Yes, we did, isn't it beautiful it is.
Speaker 1:Were you out on the water on the deck? Yes, it was just spectacular and, funnily enough, two tables down was skills alberta, so some of them were there too.
Speaker 2:So, yes, we found the great spot and good, good, you know, did the pathways. So so, yeah, and I I've heard the museums are great here and I know some of our if you like, dinosaurs especially. There's a lot of dinosaurs, yeah, a lot of the competitors like the dinosaurs, and I know some of them have made it out to the museum, so so yeah, I think there's some you know some great coffee places we heard about?
Speaker 1:yeah, it's interesting because, oh sorry, go ahead because I think that there, when you don't travel the country, you tend to hear people say oh, that province is good, this province is bad, this province is good, they're all great they're all great in different ways.
Speaker 2:yeah, and you know, one thing that people have noted and I've noticed, it's the people here too Everybody has been so friendly. And so the hotel has been.
Speaker 1:Well, we call ourselves a host city. I can see it, because we love it. We love hosting and everybody's just really friendly.
Speaker 2:So I definitely say it's been one of the friendliest places that we've been.
Speaker 1:I'm glad. So it's no.
Speaker 2:And you know, one of the things that we were saying is that in bc we have the mountains right. So and there's, we love the mountains but the sun sets faster.
Speaker 1:So here we're, like wow that you can still see the sun. Yeah, it's like sunny from like 5 am till like 11 yeah, and that's amazing.
Speaker 2:So you know, like there's different things that you and if you, can catch a sunset here.
Speaker 1:They're beautiful. It's every color you can think of, yeah.
Speaker 2:No, so we're always grateful for the different places that we get to visit and happy to be here. And the flight was much easier.
Speaker 1:It was a two-hour flight, so Zip zoom, yeah, nice and easy.
Speaker 2:The kids weren't, you know, as tired.
Speaker 1:Well, and the time, change right, change right. It's only a two hour, I think, from now, from bc to us right now. That's right. Yeah, it's not too bad you know it's pretty good.
Speaker 2:I mean, I love going to the maritimes, but that's always a far trip.
Speaker 1:It is especially for us yes, getting to halifax can can be a haul.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it can be, yeah but honestly, the kids are just happy to.
Speaker 1:I don't keep saying kids yeah, I do the same thing. It's because I'm old.
Speaker 2:The youth there are students and our competitors and and they're just so excited to be going somewhere together as a team and to be, you know, representing team bc, and we're all excited for the rough riders game tonight oh yeah, it'll be a beautiful stadium yeah, we're super excited and you know that's something new. Some of them never been to a football game.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, yeah, that's exciting.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:It'll be good to see everyone in the stands there. I got season tickets so I'm a local. I have to support my team. I brought a jersey for my staff today, so she's got a jersey for the game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, not everybody would get the chance to get down to Vancouver and get out to BC Place or Rogers Arena.
Speaker 1:I've been to BC Place place lots. I told you before the show my family was out in bc and I love bc. Um, I brought my parents back to regina when they retired, though, because they wanted me to go there, and I'm like, no, no, you're coming back here, yeah, exactly now, in terms of yourself and as you know you, you walked through the show.
Speaker 1:You've been through all the buildings. You kind of checked it all out, of course, checking in, checking in on your groups. Now, which are the competitions that you have? Perhaps second-time gold medalists, people looking for worlds this is a world's year. I'm sure there's a few people on your teams that are really pushing for that world spot.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's a few that we're hoping for. I mean, you never know, it goes down to the last judging you. I that we're hoping for. I mean, you never know, it was down to the last, uh, last judging, but uh, our fashion tech competitor uh before had gone to worlds um that was in france and leon and so we have another contender coming up with fashion technology and is the other one mentoring the one now no, she's actually.
Speaker 1:I mean she's she's went off to london, to London, london, england to go to school.
Speaker 2:So again, her career has just flourished and she's just, and so now we have somebody else, Devin, and we're hoping that that goes well.
Speaker 1:At the Barsman set. Yeah, exactly, that's fantastic.
Speaker 2:And then industrial instrumentation as well. A competitor there, that we also had somebody at worlds with that and uh in france and again they're doing really well the competitor here as well. So, um, cooking's going well or baking, and cooking and baking are always strong in bc. Yeah and uh, yeah so so there's a quite a few out there that we're excited for, and it's good and all the rest.
Speaker 1:I mean it's just a privilege to be here always yeah, it really is but I always like hearing about you know there's always a couple that are like eyes on the prize yeah, exactly, right they they, they're, they're paying attention, they want to get to that next level.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then we have a lot of the technologies too. Right, that's uh out there. I mean bc's big in the film industry.
Speaker 1:Graphic design.
Speaker 2:Graphic design now we've had a metal metal last year as well for that.
Speaker 1:So, um, you know that whole side of things as well is pretty, pretty big in bc now, do you, do you feel like, at 61 competitors, this is about your size or are you going to grow like? Are you looking to get bigger and bigger with your team every year?
Speaker 2:yeah, well, you know, we definitely want to grow and and work with skills canada as well to kind of sort of what are the, what trades and technologies make sense, to continue and and grow, and there's always new ones coming in right uh, we were talking just with uh skills ontario about cyber security and um, okay, and you know the potential of of adding some potential new ones, but that, of course, we're always limited with space, with the venue and and with this capacity.
Speaker 2:So but then there's some that you know might potentially, if they're not growing or it's looking like a fading trade or something like that, or technology, um so yeah, we're, we're just, we're always sort of keeping an eye on what's happening. And we have grown a bit like since COVID. I mean COVID, you know hit everybody. And so we've been creeping up since COVID, and so you know we had, I think, probably increased by about 10 since just when COVID started, and so, yeah, from 50s into the 60s now.
Speaker 1:So we are growing.
Speaker 2:And yeah, we'll definitely hope that we can continue to grow our programs and continue to increase regionals. Particularly, we want to focus on some of those northern regions where we can try and build up the programs more and work with the colleges and universities to just create more awareness out there in those, in those regions that maybe can't always get the opportunity to come to the centers where there's things happening yeah, and it's tough too, because usually if you're away from the main centers, transportation, logistics time things start to get a little bit more complicated.
Speaker 1:there's a little bit more barriers involved.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and just sometimes getting students from you know the island, to our provincials where you're dealing with ferries, or up north, getting even to a regional they're dealing with.
Speaker 1:In March there's snow on and going over All the roads, yeah, and they've got two mountain passes to go over, and sometimes the buses can't make it, so sometimes you deal with weather and things like that.
Speaker 2:the buses can't make it, so sometimes you you deal with weather and things like that. So you know, we're always dealing, the different regions have different things we're dealing with and but just trying to bring competitions all together and to smaller areas that that, can you know?
Speaker 1:again, not always have the capability to, and they and you know that there's some talent hidden in them. Hills right absolutely like.
Speaker 2:I always think about none of it too like you know what they have to do with, with getting their students they're gonna plane each other around? Absolutely yes, I mean but we can't complain too much compared to a place like none of it, but uh but we're certainly, certainly challenged sometimes with how big this is and just some of the landscape. You know the geographical issues that we have, so, yeah, I know that. Some of the landscape.
Speaker 1:You know the geographical issues that we have, so, yeah, I know that one of the themes that's come up with every ED and all the provinces and territories has been in regards to the importance of their local sponsors, their local supporters. I think that for a long time, my company suffered from this. I think a lot of not-for-profits suffer from. This is that there was an idea that everyone's just chasing these big whales. You want the home hardwares, you want the big yes, I get it. You want those million dollar, you know supports. But I think in the last five years, especially across skills, everywhere and in all lots of not-for-profit sectors, it's like we can't forget about the other tiers. We can't forget about the smaller companies, the local companies you know, because if you're, especially if you're, spread out over regions geographically, it really benefits the community at a next level, to have the local community partners, you become more solidified in those areas. Now, how important is that or how have you navigated that in BC?
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. And I mean every region, of course, has employers local to that region. So our regional coordinators help us to work regionally to figure out, you know, yeah, who wants to be involved. And then we work, you know like, again, the colleges are big sponsors because we use their venue. Yeah, we use you know, and they have the staffing and the volunteers and the equipment and the equipment.
Speaker 1:It's huge.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so that's really important is having good connections and you know with them and making sure that we're doing what we can to promote them as well. Yeah, and you know, provide the opportunity for the students and educators and the public to know what's at the colleges. And then, absolutely, it's not just all about the cash donations, which is super important we need that to continue but it's the supply sponsors as well.
Speaker 1:That's right and yeah, whether it's, the consumables and welding are insane, it's huge. It is huge.
Speaker 2:When we see provincials build up from the day we start coming in and the CNC machines and the massive machines coming in, all the lumber and all the you know the dry dirt yeah like the landscaping. What we need? We need dirt, we need lumber, we and yeah, and bricks.
Speaker 1:Even all that's expensive and heavy.
Speaker 2:It's very expensive and heavy and so we yeah, we work with local you know, local sponsors for the lumber and, and so we're working behind the scenes on the supply sponsors, but also working, you know, with our tiered sponsors as well, which is super important. So, it's yeah, we work, we just work with everybody, everybody we can, to you know, make it happen. And it isn't easy, because it is very, it costs a lot.
Speaker 1:It's a big chunk of the job. It is, it is.
Speaker 2:But you know we'll just continue at it and do it for the students, because I think you know as busy and crazy as it gets and is, at the end day, when that provincials is done and when that nationalists is done, it just brings everyone together and they realize just how important this whole organization is the friendships, the, the connections, the relationships, yeah, um that, the, not just the competitors, but also staff, also executives, vendors, suppliers, the networking is.
Speaker 2:the network is huge, it's massive, yeah, yeah yeah, but my favorite is when I'm chatting to a potential sponsor and I might not have they might be new uh, there's an aerospace company I was chatting to and she got on the phone and she was super excited and she said you know how I got here? And I said no, and she said I was in fashion technology and that kind of got my foot in the door to like interested in trades and tech yeah and so she was in fashion tech and then from fashion tech moved into aerospace, and so it was something I
Speaker 1:like didn't you don't connect those dots, yeah but that's the thing.
Speaker 2:Sometimes their journeys is where this is just a start, and whether they start an electrical and move to plumbing or you know and we talk about that in the class too that it, you know it might be a stepping stone to another trade or I started welding when I was 17 and I never thought I'd be just sitting here doing a podcast.
Speaker 1:Yeah, right, yeah.
Speaker 2:So, and that's like Shoshana, our baking alumni Red Seal, and she's doing podcasts as well. Yeah, and so it's just I always say, the opportunities are endless, that you can ladder into different trades and technologies and what you think you might start in one area, um, and it doesn't matter, it's just, it's a journey and it's just really exciting that the doors this will start you on a path, and where that path goes, we'd all we don't always know, but we do know that it'll be a good one yeah, and you'll learn along the way and then figure out what you like and what you don't like just as much so yeah again, if you go into a trade and you take a four-year apprenticeship and you don't like it, that's okay too, in a sense, that you haven't paid for a four-year university degree.
Speaker 1:No, no, and you guys don't want to fall back on if something happens. Absolutely, but what I find is most people do like it or they ladder into something else or go into management, but it's still adjacent to whatever it was yeah or they might go into management or start their own business or travel with it.
Speaker 2:That's what I've always talked about.
Speaker 1:I was a traveler.
Speaker 2:I'm a traveler, yeah, and so you could travel with your With work.
Speaker 1:I worked in West Africa, I worked in Russia, I worked in South America. I've worked all over Canada. That's what I. One of the things I loved most about my trade is that if I could just put a pin on a map and be like what's going on there? Go online and you just find a job and with the Red Seal from Canada, it's opened doors. I never had any employer overseas be like oh no, no, not a Canadian. Oh, you're a Red Seal Canadian. It's like here's your plane ticket, see you next week. It's so amazing, isn't it?
Speaker 2:It really is a window of opportunity or a door of opportunity a window of opportunity or door of opportunity and that's again, we we always, you know give that message as well, that that this will open the doors to so many opportunities, whether it's travel, work, employment, anything it's it's. It's really fascinating it is and again I didn't know. I mean I'm happy I did the pathway I did um because communication ended up here.
Speaker 1:It ended up here, yeah and.
Speaker 2:But it was the same where, like, I could travel with what I was doing, and I went to Australia and worked in communications and went overseas as well, and worked it. And so I I just say, if you get the opportunity, go go with it, go with your.
Speaker 1:You'll have no regrets Like it's not a thing you ever like. Oh.
Speaker 2:I wish I didn't go to Australia. Yeah, exactly, shouldn't have done that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I thought maybe there you shouldn't have done some things, but that's different.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, it's been a great journey and getting to skills again is so rewarding. It's just seeing again people come together, seeing people do well and seeing their pathways change their lives, and the stories, and and and then it's it's and you're a part of that.
Speaker 1:You are. That's amazing. Yeah, it is.
Speaker 2:So yeah, you put in all the work and some days are hard and some days you know and and then, but then you see the results and that's what's always really rewarding really rewarding.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Last couple questions now. Uh, you know, as a spectator, now let's put on that lens. You know you've walked the whole floor. You checked it all out. What are your three favorite things to see?
Speaker 2:three favorite things to see as a spectator here I would say well, you know, everybody always loves seeing the baking yeah, that's been on everyone's list so far.
Speaker 1:Just all the design work that goes into it, and it's edible, which is the best part oh yeah, it is.
Speaker 2:It's just no that one. I I love watching the landscaping that's also been on about 90 of everyone's because, just like they're using brick, they're using you know lots of different mediums, yeah, like that you saw the water feature there, like I think they combine so many things and that's pretty spectacular too. And what else would I say?
Speaker 1:The third one, just all of it, I mean it's all spectacular to see, because there's some of you walk by and then you just find yourself just transfixed for 20 minutes. You're like wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, even the plumbing kind of pipe fitting trades.
Speaker 1:I enjoy watching the electrical guys the way they're so good with their cables and everything looks so tidy. Trust me, none of the wiring in my house looks like that ever, like they're so professional, it looks so nice I wouldn't even touch wiring.
Speaker 2:So I'm just like I mean I'd love to know how, but yeah I mean electricals too when you think about all they have to know and the coding and the math and all the science, like the physics, there's a lot to being an electrician, that's for sure.
Speaker 1:And for the last question, let's piggyback on that Now. You're going back in time to young you, but you know everything you know of the trades that you know now.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Which trade would you pick? Carpentry. You thought about it before. I have I don't know.
Speaker 2:There's something about working with wood and hands and just not just that. The mathematical the. Yeah, I, I think I think carpentry, I don't know that I always come back to that all over?
Speaker 1:yeah, and I'm sure you would have been a fantastic carpenter.
Speaker 2:Thank you, I might just have to start building things right you know what?
Speaker 1:that's the hobby time. Like I never say never. I got grandkids now and I'm like thinking, you know, I've been a welder my whole whole life and I'm like maybe I should start getting into wood, maybe plastics or these acrylics everyone's getting into you know, because I think once you are a builder, you're kind of always a builder right, yeah, so no, I think that's what throws me off of it.
Speaker 2:No, I don't think the whole time. Maybe I could do a half-day carpentry and a half-day graphic design. Well, you could design what you're going to build Exactly. There you go, hey.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you so much for being on the show with me, Michelle.
Speaker 2:It's been fun being here.
Speaker 1:Awesome and for all the people that have been following along, we have 13 episodes. We're recording over two days here at Skills, so you want to check out all the provinces and territory stories. They're all amazing, it's all been super fun and you're learning something about every province and territory in Canada. So check them all out and, for the rest of the podcast series, make sure you keep downloading, sharing and liking them. We need your support. Love you all. Until the next episode, we hope you enjoy the show.