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Welding camp returns to VIU

If you’re a teenager who’s been thinking about a career in trades, the Mind Over Metal welding campmay be just the thing for you.
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A welder takes part in last year’s Mind over Metal welding camp.

If you’re a teenager who’s been thinking about a career in trades, the Mind Over Metal welding camp at Vancouver Island University’s Cowichan Trades Centre Monday, Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 may be just the thing for you.

Funded by the Canadian Welding Association, the camp aims to help students aged 12-15 discover if they have a flare for working with metal.

The CWA hosted its first pilot welding camp in Edmonton two years ago.

Now the group funds Mind Over Metal Summer Camps across Canada.

VIU Cowichan hosted its first camp last summer, in partnership with School District 79.

During the week-long camp, students will learn welding safety, gas metal arc welding, welding symbols and a brief overview of the impact welding has on our daily lives.

After the theoretical part of the camp, students will practice on the welding simulator and then have fun with real arcs and sparks.

“The students get real, hands-on welding experiences that are fun, so when they finish, they are hopefully inspired to explore a career in welding,” says Mike Hallam, chair of VIU’s welding program. “I still talk to about half of last year’s class, and they are telling me they want to take welding when they get to Grade 11.”