The CWB Association had the privilege to attend the Skills Canada New Brunswick Provincial Competition in Saint John, NB. Join us as we bring you special episodes recorded in person to advocate for careers in skilled trades and technology across the country. Today's guest, Andrew Clarke, Department Head for Skilled Trades at Harbour View High School in New Brunswick, reveals the hidden challenges and triumphs of preparing the next generation of welders and metalworkers. With no formal trades bac...
Jul 16, 2025•59 min
The CWB Association is thrilled to collaborate with Skills/Compétences Canada on a special podcast series. This year, we are excited to interview the Skills Canada Executive Directors from across Canada. Tune in as we explore their skills journey and commitment to promoting skilled trades in their provinces and territories! Krystal Nieckar’s path to becoming Executive Director of Skills Canada Saskatchewan wasn't the traditional trades route. With a background in disability advocacy, corrections...
Jul 14, 2025•40 min
The CWB Association is thrilled to collaborate with Skills/Compétences Canada on a special podcast series. This year, we are excited to interview the Skills Canada Executive Directors from across Canada. Tune in as we explore their skills journey and commitment to promoting skilled trades in their provinces and territories! Carol Ann Ryan's journey with Skills Canada began with a newspaper ad and transformed into a 27-year passion project that has revolutionized how Newfoundland and Labrador app...
Jul 14, 2025•43 min
The CWB Association is thrilled to collaborate with Skills/Compétences Canada on a special podcast series. This year, we are excited to interview the Skills Canada Executive Directors from across Canada. Tune in as we explore their skills journey and commitment to promoting skilled trades in their provinces and territories! Courtney Donovan, Executive Director of Skills Canada New Brunswick, has transformed the organization from an unknown entity with minimal participation to a powerhouse connec...
Jul 14, 2025•40 min
The CWB Association is thrilled to collaborate with Skills/Compétences Canada on a special podcast series. This year, we are excited to interview the Skills Canada Executive Directors from across Canada. Tune in as we explore their skills journey and commitment to promoting skilled trades in their provinces and territories! Maria Pacella's remarkable 20-year journey as Executive Director of Skills Canada Manitoba offers powerful insights into building pathways for young people to discover career...
Jul 14, 2025•26 min
The CWB Association had the privilege to attend the Skills Canada New Brunswick Provincial Competition in Saint John, NB. Join us as we bring you special episodes recorded in person to advocate for careers in skilled trades and technology across the country. In this eye-opening conversation with Ryan Donaghy, Deputy Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development for New Brunswick, we uncover how this maritime province has quietly become a powerhouse in trades education and employment oppo...
Jul 09, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 226
The CWB Association had the privilege to attend the Skills Canada New Brunswick Provincial Competition in Saint John, NB. Join us as we bring you special episodes recorded in person to advocate for careers in skilled trades and technology across the country. What began as a one-year contract in marketing has evolved into a nine-year journey that's seen Skills New Brunswick grow from reaching 200 students annually to engaging over 20,000. Behind this remarkable transformation lies Courtney's pers...
Jul 02, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 225
The CWB Association had the privilege to attend the Skills Canada New Brunswick Provincial Competition in Saint John, NB. Join us as we bring you special episodes recorded in person to advocate for careers in skilled trades and technology across the country. Forget everything you thought you knew about welding careers in Eastern Canada. In this eye-opening conversation with Evan Ross, Welding Instructor at UA Local 213 in Saint John, New Brunswick, we discover why the once-common story of East C...
Jun 25, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 224
The CWB Association is committed to creating a safe space for growth and education to strengthen our membership by encouraging awareness. The LGBTQ2S+ community is a vibrant and essential part of the welding industry across Canada. June is Pride Month, and we encourage you to actively promote and engage in equality, inclusion, and diversity as a priority all year long. In today's episode, we discover how authenticity transforms careers and companies alike through the remarkable journeys of two i...
Jun 18, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 223
The CWB Association had the privilege to attend the Skills Canada New Brunswick Provincial Competition in Saint John, NB. Join us as we bring you special episodes recorded in person to advocate for careers in skilled trades and technology across the country. What happens when football dreams transform into a welding career? In this captivating conversation, Adam Stead reveals his remarkable journey from athlete to welding professional to his current role as Technical Education Specialist with th...
Jun 13, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 222
The CWB Association had the privilege to attend the Skills Canada New Brunswick Provincial Competition in Saint John, NB. Join us as we bring you special episodes recorded in person to advocate for careers in skilled trades and technology across the country. What does it take for a woman to thrive as a welding inspector at one of North America's largest oil refineries? Bella Hicks brings us behind the scenes of her remarkable journey from making a strategic decision to pursue the specialized Wel...
Jun 04, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 221
The CWB Association had the privilege to attend the Skills Canada New Brunswick Provincial Competition in Saint John, NB. Join us as we bring you special episodes recorded in person to advocate for careers in skilled trades and technology across the country. Discover the thriving welding industry in Atlantic Canada as we sit down with Sarah Thorne, a Welding Instructor at New Brunswick Community College. From her rapid journey to earning her Red Seal certification to her transition into teaching...
May 28, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 220
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry. In today's episode, we welcome Cassie Zinga, sharing her fascinating journey from winning her high school's construction award to briefly studying firefighting before finding her true passion in Metal Fabrication. Now working as an Apprentice at a Toronto structural company specializi...
May 21, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 219
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry. The path to finding your place in the welding industry isn't always straight or smooth—sometimes it winds across provinces, through unexpected doors, and even away from the trade entirely before bringing you home. Today's guest is Rainah Lee, a Welder from Mossbank, Saskatchewan. For ...
May 14, 2025•55 min•Season 1Ep. 218
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry. Reimagining life through metal art—Codie Aljets from Sage Country Customs takes us on an extraordinary journey from corporate burnout to creative fulfillment. Growing up in a small southern Illinois town of just 150 people, Codie's wanderlust was ignited by grandparents who traveled t...
May 07, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 217
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate National Volunteer Month to showcase the incredible contributions of our Chapter Executives from across Canada and globally. Please note this episode is a replay, bringing you a blast from the past. When Allison Zerr swapped her accounting books for a welder's mask, little did she know ...
Apr 30, 2025•1 hr 15 min
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate National Volunteer Month to showcase the incredible contributions of our Chapter Executives from across Canada and globally. When Jim Galloway walked into his high school welding shop in Brantford, Ontario, in the 1970s, he couldn't have predicted how far the spark would take him. His j...
Apr 23, 2025•1 hr 34 min•Season 1Ep. 216
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate National Volunteer Month to showcase the incredible contributions of our Chapter Executives from across Canada and globally. "Be patient, try everything, find your niche, and make yourself valuable," is a brief glimpse into the knowledge Shawn Laporte shares from his 30-year journey thr...
Apr 16, 2025•1 hr 21 min•Season 1Ep. 215
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate National Volunteer Month to showcase the incredible contributions of our Chapter Executives from across Canada and globally. Discover the fascinating journey of Daniele Calista, a doctoral student at the University of Alberta's Canadian Center for Welding and Joining, as he shares his p...
Apr 09, 2025•1 hr 8 min•Season 1Ep. 214
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate National Volunteer Month to showcase the incredible contributions of our Chapter Executives from across Canada and globally. From Newfoundland to the shipyards of Halifax, John Marshall's four-decade welding journey represents not just a career but a masterclass in adaptability, craftsm...
Apr 02, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 213
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate Women Empowerment Month to learn about the incredible contributions of Women in the welding industry and our communities. After spending years behind a desk crunching numbers and raising three children as a young mother, Jessica found herself craving something that would engage her natural...
Mar 26, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 112
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate Women Empowerment Month to learn about the incredible contributions of Women in the welding industry and our communities. Stepping into the steel industry in her early twenties, Daniela Todaro never imagined she'd be running a company two decades later as President of Quality Plates & ...
Mar 19, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 211
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate Women Empowerment Month to learn about the incredible contributions of Women in the welding industry and our communities. Dive into today's episode featuring Paisley Witkowski, a Welding and Metallurgical Engineer from Houston, TX. Her journey from a quaint farming community in Ontario to ...
Mar 12, 2025•1 hr 20 min•Season 1Ep. 210
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry. Dive into the captivating history of Eagle Alloys Ltd., a family-run business deeply rooted in the welding community. In this episode, we welcome Don and Jason Tansom, a father-son duo with a unique blend of experience, passion, and innovative ideas that highlight the evolution of wel...
Mar 05, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 209
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry. What happens when a career in welding finds you unexpectedly? Mike Barnett, a Welder from Canton, Ohio, joins us to share his unique journey from working on irrigation systems to wielding a welding torch. Growing up, Mike was set to inherit the family business, but his grandfather's w...
Feb 26, 2025•1 hr 10 min•Season 1Ep. 208
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry. Discover the art of teaching in the welding field, where Bill Myers, Ancora Education’s National Program Director for Skilled Trades, reveals the intricacies of training future welders and instructors. He shares insights on aligning educational programs with regional industry demands,...
Feb 19, 2025•1 hr 19 min•Season 1Ep. 207
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world and unrepresented communities as we continue to strive for a more diverse workforce. Join us as we celebrate Black History Month to learn about the incredible contributions of African, Caribbean, and Black Canadians to the welding industry and our communities. Growing up in Halifax, Nova Scotia's vibrant Black community, Ivan Wright, a Welding Technician from Fronius Canada, is a testament to ...
Feb 10, 2025•1 hr 13 min•Season 1Ep. 206
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry. What if the skills you learned on the ice could help you excel in the world of welding? Join us as we chat with Gabe Scigliano, a former competitive hockey player from Calgary, who successfully transitioned to a career in welding and pipe fitting. Gabe shares how an unexpected convers...
Feb 05, 2025•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 205
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry. Discover how the Alberta Welding Optimization Committee (AWOC) is at the forefront of fostering innovation and collaboration within the industry with Terry Mueller, a Welding Expert from Calgary, Alberta. Terry discusses the committee's initiatives, from promoting advanced welding tec...
Jan 29, 2025•1 hr 23 min•Season 1Ep. 204
The CWB Association brings you a weekly podcast that connects to welding professionals around the world to share their passion and give you the right tips to stay on top of what’s happening in the welding industry. Ever wonder how geology, metallurgy, and welding intersect? Join us for an enlightening conversation with Alexis Armstrong, a geologist turned advocate for women in trades. Alexis shares her incredible journey from the depths of Northern Canada's mines to designing inclusive workwear ...
Jan 22, 2025•1 hr 41 min•Season 1Ep. 203
