“Skills Work!®” Summer Camps are just around the corner!
Parent comment: “My son was able to build things and got excited when describing how he made them.”
Parent comment: “A very positive experience; my daughter told us about what she learned at the camp every day on the way home. She really liked it!”
What happens at “Skills Work!®” Summer Camps? Everything skilled trades and technology! Held in conjunction with colleges around Ontario, campers get to experience many different trades and technologies – TV production, cooking, electrical, automotive service, heavy equipment service and drafting, to name a few. We also take the campers out on tours of industry to see trade and technology careers in action. For kids who love watching “How It’s Made” on Discovery Channel, it’s like a live version! Places we’ve toured in the past:
- Goldcorp Inc. / Porcupine Joint Venture Mine Tour, Timmins
- CBC radio, Sudbury and Thunder Bay
- Ontario Industrial and Finishing Skills Centre, Toronto
- Cogeco local TV studios, Sarnia
- Brookfield Wind Operations, Sault Ste. Marie
- Canadian Canoe Museum, Peterborough
Camper comment: “Very hands on, friendly counsellors, everything is very interesting.”
From William Howe, Liaison Officer:
“A few years ago, at one of the camps at Fleming College, we were welding. After completing their safety instruction, the students were putting on their safety equipment and one of the girls in the camp approached me. Her name was Hannah and she said to me in a soft voice ‘I am afraid of sparks and flames.’ It just so happened that the welding instructor had brought her daughters with her to help out. I approached the youngest daughter, who looked about fifteen years old. This capable young lady asked Hannah to join her in the welding booth to just watch and see how the process works. The screen closed and some time passed and I was called away to help another camper. The next time I looked over, I saw the screen whip open and there was Hannah. Her helmet was flipped up to show a huge grin. She had her completed project clasped firmly in a pair of tongs and she saw me and exclaimed, ‘I did it!’”
“In a carpentry workshop one year, campers were making outdoor side tables from cedar – a challenging day-long project that required a lot of patience. At the end of the day, one of the campers looked at her finished table, crestfallen. When I asked her what was wrong, she said ‘it doesn’t look very nice.’ The table certainly did have some crooked boards and didn’t quite sit evenly on the concrete floor. I pointed out that she had never tried anything like this before, she had done an amazing job for a first attempt on such an ambitious project. When she still looked sad, I went on to say that the next time she wanted to do something like that, she would have so much more experience going in, and it would be that much easier. She lit right up and said ‘hey, you’re right!’”
“Every year one of my favourite workshops is Welding at Centennial College. When campers start they are jumping at every spark and make tentative attempts at very shaky welds. By the end of the workshops they are confidently flipping down their masks, smoothly making lines, practicing writing their names, and happily following the instructors as they guide the group through making edge joints. This is a workshop where campers get to learn a unique skill, develop their techniques, and try out a great skilled trade!”
Camper comment: “I would make the camp longer, like two weeks or so, because this camp was awesome and I didn't want it to end!”
Parent comment: “It is a great opportunity for our son to experience a taste of different industries and fields of work- It is also a great opportunity to build confidence in one's skills, great camp!”
“I recall a few years ago having a camper involved that truly loved every minute of his camp experience. His mom commented that while normally it was difficult to get him out of bed to go to school, when it came to this camp he was so eager to attend each day that he was the first one up in the morning. I ran into this camper a few years later. It turns out that the passion he discovered for the skilled trades was still holding strong – he was taking high school technology courses and planning on pursuing an apprenticeship in his future.”
Parent comment: “I think this was one of the better camps my son has attended.”
Camper comment: “This camp was amazing!”
For more information, visit our website.
Watch our camp video at www.youtube.com/skillsontario to see a sample workshop!
Watch our camp video at www.youtube.com/skillsontario to see a sample workshop!
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