Name : Isaiac Tracey
Skills Yukon Affiliation: 2023 Skills Canada National Competition Gold Medal (Sheet Metal)
Age: 23
Trade & Certifications: Level 4 Sheet Metal
Current workplace: Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and HvachTech Systems Inc.
Could you tell us about your experience in the trade sector so far? I feel like I have learned a lot of life lessons working in the trades, having learned a lot about myself and how to work with others. Working in my trade makes me feel like I am contributing to the world in a positive way.
How did you start exploring the trades? I started throughout high school.
Were there any extracurricular programs that encouraged the spark in your eventual career path? I always enjoyed working with my papa after school or on weekends. We would do all kinds of miscellaneous jobs, including carpentry and mechanics. I also worked in summer jobs as a carpenter’s helper. I knew that when I started working construction, here and there, that I liked it and understood how to do it. So, I knew I wanted to pursue some kind of trade and had a lot of help getting into a trade through school!
Was there someone who inspired your journey into the trades and/or technology sector? School and working with my dad.
What does a regular day on the job look like? A day on the job can look like working inside fabrication ductwork or steelwork in the shop, or installing on a job site or doing a crane lift for a unit on a rooftop.
What is the most interesting project you have worked on? The most interesting project was a Skills Competition project. When we went to the Nationals in Winnipeg, I made a chuckwagon. It was a lot of fun, especially when I don’t get to make things like that often.
If you met someone who was looking at exploring the trades sector, what piece of advice would you give them? I would tell them to be ready and open to learning, and to push through the schooling because it will be worth it when you have the ticket in your back pocket.
Would you ever be open to learning a new trade, to challenge even more skills? If so, is there any approach, mindset or challenge of working in the trades that you will try to do differently? Yes, I want to start my welding apprenticeship when I finish my schooling for sheet metal this April! I will try to stay positive and not to feel discouraged. I am capable and I feel like I will become more versatile with the kind of work that I am doing.
Is there something about your trade that you think not many people know? I think that some people don’t know that you can make pretty much anything in my trade, not just duct work, and I want to keep making things that will challenge my skills.
Do you think you will see out the rest of your career in the Yukon; and, if so, why? Or where else in the world would you love to go to work? It’s a hard call but I think I will probably stay in the Yukon because I have lots of family here and I would like to be close to them. I will eventually want to be able to start my own business, one day, here in the Yukon, but I wouldn’t mind going to work somewhere else just to try something different. In the next five or 10 years, I would love to be able to do my own bigger jobs and side jobs comfortably and confidently on my own. You competed in the territorial and national competitions in 2023. Could you tell us about your experience? I feel like the skills competitions are a good opportunity to learn about your trade, other trades and experience in working under pressure.
