Hundreds of elementary students got to try their hand at the trades

The union office for the Alberta Roofing Contractors Association is an unlikely place for 10-year-olds.

Yet, on Tuesday, it roared with elementary school students, many of whom were putting rings on CVC pipes, welding vinyl pieces on a wooden floor, or simply playing with measuring tapes.

The interactive session was a collaboration between the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) and the Calgary Construction Association to expose students to a trade career at an early age.

“We always ask kids, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ and we just want to give them an opportunity to see some of the different opportunities that are out there as they start to consider that question of what they might want to be,” said Steve Laberge, a supervisor in Learning Services, at CCSD.

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“We don’t expect them to decide that today, but we just want to plant a seed and spark something that might be an interest to them, which one day might become a career pathway they want to pursue.”

The exhibition included 240 Calgary Catholic students from four schools, who were introduced to nine different skilled trades, including plumbing, roofing and carpentry. The school board held a smaller session at a school last year, but Laberge said the initiative is a first for the organization.

The collaboration between the construction association and school district dates back two years, when they connected students directly with industry professionals through hands-on activities and demonstrations.

“You ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up — in my time, they all said doctors, lawyers, engineers, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But we also need framers, we also need carpenters,” he said.

A recent housing boom and several energy-related announcements, including the recent MOU signed between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Danielle Smith, have further propelled demand for skilled trade workers.

Combined with the possibility of artificial intelligence making various professional jobs obsolete, Laberge said trades have been experiencing a renaissance.

“What’s so unique about this is that industry is coming to us, and they’re saying we want to be involved, saying, ‘What can we do for you as educators to ensure that students are aware that this is a viable career pathway?'” he added.

Jackie Scitthelm, director of workplace at the Calgary Construction Association, said elementary grades are the best stage to present the trades as a viable career.