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First-year residential apprentices from across Ontario recently showcased their trim and siding skills as they competed in the first-ever residential competition organized by the (CRC).

The competition was held April 24 to 26 at the Carpenters’ Union training centre in London, Ont.

“It used to be our provincial competition,” explained Pasquale Bono, Ontario residential co-ordinator with the CRC. “Since we became the Carpenters’ Regional Council, we now cover several provinces, so now we call it our regional competition. When it comes to the ICI competition, it’s been going on for years. This was the first year for the residential competition.”

The residential competition was organized this year because in the last round of bargaining, contractors in residential siding and trim realized there was a need for sector-specific training, not just apprenticeship or general training.

“When they realized there was that need, we then went to negotiations and got actual direct funding for those sectors and that happened,” Bono explained.

“We’ve always had training, but we never had direct funding for those two disciplines…The funding gave us the ability to create curriculums and sector-specific courses — introduction to low-rise trim, introduction to exterior cladding and then even upgrade courses.”

Last fall a building was purchased in Vaughan, Ont. It’s a 45,000-square-foot training centre owned by the CRC but it’s predominantly for residential use. The residential program began earlier this year.

“We decided when we started this training on Jan. 6, we said, ‘What is the best way to get real traction?’” Bono recalled. “In the ICI they have a competition for general carpentry and drywall, flooring. The best thing to do is to have a competition and get some buy-in because then you can advertise, you can say, ‘Look you are going to be like every other discipline in the carpenters, you have a competition.’”

During the competition, there is a mock-up with some drawings and the apprentices are required to complete different tasks within a time limit.

There were three contestants from across Ontario in trim and three in exterior cladding. The winner of this year’s siding showcase was Amadou Ceesay and the winner of the trim showcase was Behnam Kamali.

“The trim winner, Behn, immigrated from Iran four months ago,” Bono recalled. “He had never done trim in his life. He came in, wanted to join the union. We enrolled him in a class and he ended up winning because he is that good of a carpenter.

“There are contractors there too,” Bono added. “They were one of the judges. Two individuals got employment after the competition.”

High school students usually attend the regional competitions in ICI for general carpentry, drywall and interior systems so Bono wanted the same for the residential competition.

“In London we had 600 or 700 students come through over two days,” said Bono. “It’s a live time competition and they’re watching it.”

The winner of this year’s competition will display at the national apprenticeship competition in Winnipeg this week.

“Because we haven’t started this residential competition in other provinces yet they will just go to the national competition in Winnipeg and do a display so that high school students can see how we do residential in other provinces,” said Bono. “As we organize more in the other provinces we will have people from multiple provinces then competing next year.”

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