Partnership Aims to Inspire the Next Generation of Welders
DAWSON CREEK, B.C., July 14, 2017 /3BL Media/ – Today local Dawson Creek students celebrated the completion of a Mind over Metal welding camp, where they learned welding safety, basic welding processes and got a chance to try some arcs and sparks where their creativity tool over. The students, 16 in total, ranging in age from 12-15, gathered at Northern Lights College alongside faculty, community members, representatives from CWA Foundation (CWAF) and TransCanada Corporation (TransCanada) to show off their work and celebrate this special achievement.
"Introducing Mind over Metal welding camps to both elementary and junior high schools will raise awareness about welding and the trades, with the hopes that arcs and sparks inspire a new generation of welders," said Deborah Mates, Executive Director of the CWA Foundation.
Mates was pleased to announce a two-year partnership with TransCanada. The foundation has joined forces with TransCanada to deliver the Mind over Metal welding camps, upgrade welding equipment and offer professional development training sessions for teachers in secondary schools across Western Canada.
"We are grateful for this partnership. The positive impact it will have on secondary welding programs in Western Canada will be vast and long lasting. The support from TransCanada will drastically improve high school welding programs and help the next generation of welders realize their goals."
"TransCanada is proud to partner with CWA Foundation to offer hands-on welding experience to secondary students, says Trevor Halford, Director of BC Public Affairs, TransCanada. "CWA Foundation's programming has proven to not only help youth consider careers in the skilled trades, but it also encourages them to stay in school and remain focused on their goals. As a company whose business relies heavily on the skilled trades, we believe it is important to help develop high-demand and transferable skills in the communities where we do business – both to promote sustainable local economies and ensure that industry has a trained future workforce," continued Halford.
This year, the CWA Foundation partnered with TransCanada to deliver 9 Mind over Metal camps while 50 are planned across the country. For more information on the program please visit https://www.cwa-foundation.org/programs/mind-over-metal-camps.
About the Canadian Welding Association Foundation
The CWA Foundation is a National registered charity that supports the Canadian welding industry by increasing public safety awareness in welding, and addressing the welding skilled trade shortage in Canada. Through education based programs and initiatives, we continue to reduce barriers that affect key groups; elementary, secondary, and post-secondary students and educators, indigenous, women, at-risk youth, disabled, and the disadvantaged.
About TransCanada
With more than 65 years' experience, TransCanada is a leader in the responsible development and reliable operation of North American energy infrastructure including natural gas and liquids pipelines, power generation and gas storage facilities. TransCanada operates one of the largest natural gas transmission networks that extends more than 91,500 kilometres (56,900 miles), tapping into virtually all major gas supply basins in North America. TransCanada is the continent's leading provider of gas storage and related services with 653 billion cubic feet of storage capacity. A large independent power producer, TransCanada currently owns or has interests in approximately 6,200 megawatts of power generation in Canada and the United States. TransCanada is also the developer and operator of one of North America's leading liquids pipeline systems that extends over 4,300 kilometres (2,700 miles), connecting growing continental oil supplies to key markets and refineries. TransCanada's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol TRP.
