By Christine McAlpine
Kyle used to start his day shoveling snow.
That was in 2010 when he was a student in the High School Carpentry Apprenticeship Program (HCAP) at Mount Royal Collegiate. At the time, students in the program built a home on site: rain, shine or snow.
Today, students have the luxury of working in a climate-controlled room, the size of a small warehouse, conveniently attached to the school. Like Kyle, they experience many aspects of the residential construction industry by building a home themselves. And, like Kyle, they need the right equipment to get the job done.
That's why Kyle Macdonald and the company where he works as a project manager and partner, CandorBuild Construction Corporation, have donated tool belts outfitted with a variety of tools like a tape measure, hammer and safety glasses to each student in the program.
"I had a calling to the trades, but it was vague until I joined the High School Carpentry Apprenticeship Program it solidified the carpentry path for me," Macdonald said, explaining that the program benefitted him in ways he never thought possible. "It gave me a head start in the carpentry trade, set me on a trajectory to obtain my Red Seal at age 21 and start a successful construction business by age 27.
"I firmly believe this program set me up for success," he continued. "On behalf of everyone at CandorBuild, we are thrilled to be able to do the same for these students because we believe that, with construction, anything is possible."
"We're grateful for the support and sponsorship of businesses in the trade industry like CandorBuild for helping youth in our community reach their future goals," HCAP teacher Don McDonald said, adding that the students not only get to break in the tools and tool belts in class but also take them home at the end of the semester and use them on their job sites.
"Between the hands-on learning opportunities and apprenticeship hours students accumulate in class, they're given an incredible foundation for exploring career options in the trades," said McDonald.
While enrolled in HCAP for one semester, students earn five credits and learn a range of skills from framing and scaffolding to masonry, exterior and interior finishing, cabinetry, electrical wiring, plumbing, painting, flooring and more. Students also learn the expectations of future employers while earning 340 apprenticeship hours through HCAP and 300 hours in any trade from the Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship program.
This year's class started their residential build at the end of January. So far, they've laid out the joists on leveled beams and started attaching the rim joists.
"I've always been drawn to carpentry I like to see the products I can build with my own hands," said Cohen, a Grade 12 student at Walter Murray Collegiate who enrolled at Mount Royal for a semester to take the program. "So far, it's been really fun."
"My goal is to become a Red Seal carpenter, so I thought this program would help me get a head start on that," said Matthew, a Grade 12 student at Tommy Douglas Collegiate. "That's what I'm doing is getting more experience."
Dawson, a Grade 12 student at Centennial Collegiate, would also like to obtain his Red Seal and become a finishing carpenter. "It's really helping me a lot," he said of the program.
To learn more about HCAP and it's open house on Thursday, February 29, click here.
