Heather Wright/The Independent

Johnny Dawson says every welding class at LCCVI is full. And there is a line up of Grade 9 and 10 students who would like to get through the shop doors to learn the trade too.

Dawson, a Red Seal Welder who now teaches the skill at LCCVI, believes the college credit course is the best in Lambton County.

The Lambton-Kent regional Canada Skills competition seems to bear that out. LCCVI students swept the competition to earn a berth at the qualifier at Fanshawe College later this spring.

Ryan Beattie of Marthaville won gold for his work, Tucker Hooey of Brigden won silver and Gauri Patel, the only woman in the competition, took home bronze in the four-hour competition which tests the young welders’ skills.

John Dunseith is one of the organizers of the event. He’s a welder and member of the Pipefitters Union, Local 663. Dunseith says the union gets involved in the competition “for selfish reasons” since welding is a highly-sought-after skill in Sarnia’s petrochemical industry.

While the provincial government actively promotes the trades as career, Dunseith says “very little is left of our technical education” in public schools. “The money spent on technical education is even less now than when I went to school 50 years ago.”

Dunseith is concerned even if there were more cash for classes like welding, there may not be teachers waiting to help. Dunseith says few welders will take two years to become a teacher just so they can make about one-third the salary they can working in their trade.

“Who in their right mind would do such a thing?”

Dawson was a well-established journey person in the trades when he decided to take classes to become a teacher during the pandemic. While he continues to work in his trade as he teaches and says he gets a great deal of satisfaction from helping the next generation of welders.

“It’s nice being able to help people every day,” said Dawson.