Mind over metal summer welding camp

Image credit: Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Image credit: Saskatchewan Polytechnic

The Canadian Welding Association Foundation hosts Mind Over Metal summer camps for girls at Prince Albert campus  

August 23, 2016 –The Saskatchewan Polytechnic Women in Trades and Technology (WITT) program has partnered with the Canadian Welding Association (CWA) Foundation to host a Mind Over Metal welding summer camp for girls aged 12 to 15. The week-long camp is being hosted at the Prince Albert campus.

Mind Over Metal camps were developed by the CWA Foundation to expose girls to the exciting career opportunities available in welding. The CWA Foundation hosted its first pilot welding camp in the summer of 2014 in Edmonton and is now introducing camps to all provinces across Canada for the months of June, July and August. The welding industry has many great career opportunities ranging from welder, welding inspector, welding researcher and even a welding engineer. The camps provide female students with a safe learning environment to try welding; something they may never have considered. Participants learn about welding safety, gas metal arc welding, oxy/acetylene welding as well as sheet metal work.

“These camps are specifically designed to provide at risk youth with an introduction into the welding profession and the great career options that are available, while being supervised by professionals in a safe environment,” said Deborah Mates, director of the CWA Foundation.  “It opens up a lot of possibilities to the students because this is such a unique opportunity. It’s hands-on and fun so when they finish they’ll have great memories and hopefully feel inspired to pursue a career in the welding profession.”

The camps are designed to dispel myths around females pursing trades careers. “The CWA’s Mind Over Metal camp allow girls to build self-awareness and confidence while working with active female tradeswomen,” says Jessica Baldwin, provincial facilitator and coordinator for WITT at Sask Polytech. “The goal is to allow girls to see themselves working in one of the otherwise overlooked trade careers.”

Media are invited to attend:

Event: Mind Over Metal showcase 
Date: August 24
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. 
Location: Prince Albert campus
Ask for Tammie Pawlust
1100 – 115th Street East 

The CWA Foundation’s key mandates are to support public safety awareness and to address the skilled welding labour shortage in Canada. It also focuses on creating access to educational opportunities for all levels of education from elementary through to post-secondary, as well as aboriginal peoples, women, those with disabilities and visible minorities. 

Saskatchewan Polytechnic serves 28,000 distinct students through applied learning opportunities at campuses in Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina and Saskatoon, and through extensive distance education opportunities. Programs serve every economic and public service sector. As a polytechnic, the organization provides the depth of learning appropriate to employer and student need, including certificate, diploma and degree programs, and apprenticeship training. Saskatchewan Polytechnic engages in applied research, drawing on faculty expertise to support innovation by employers, and providing students the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills. 

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