My name is Kimberlee Young. I went through Trade Winds to Success in 2018 focusing on becoming an Industrial Mechanic (Millwright).
Before getting in touch with Trade Winds I was attempting to become an auto mechanic. It was something I always had my eyes set on, but with the amount of backyard mechanics looking to become indentured, it was very difficult.

I first encountered Trade Winds while I was attending the Alexis Nakota Sioux Elementary/Junior High during one of the school’s job fairs. After talking with someone at the Trade Winds booth, Industrial Mechanic and Carpentry both piqued my interest. I wrote their proficiency exam to see what best suited me. I scored decently well on it, and Sherri Houle suggested the Industrial Mechanic Career to me because it’s basically a mechanic at a higher, more protected level. I went from thinking about carpentry to wanting, wholeheartedly, to become an Industrial Mechanic.

With becoming an Industrial Mechanic now set in my sets, I invested my entire soul into the prep course to take the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training entrance exam. Trade Winds took the time to make sure I understood the math and science I needed to be successful. Once I got the news that I passed the exam, they sent me off to the union training centre, Millwrights Local 1460. There I learned the basics that would help me succeed on the job site. Local 1460 helped me understand the types of specialty tools I’d be using, and the patience I would need as a first-year apprentice. I learned that the combination of precision, work, and patience I thought I had was going to be tested. After a few bouts of frustration and feelings of defeat, I persevered and succeeded in getting the top mark in my class!
The top mark got me a great job and an even better boss. I have been working for the same company for over a year now. K.B. Industrial Mechanics has taken me under its wing and helped me grow as a person, a woman, an Aboriginal, and as an Industrial Mechanic.

So, if you have the drive, the focus, and the ability it takes to be an Industrial Mechanic, shoot for the stars. Hard work and patience is what is needed in this career. As one of my instructors always said, “You can only pick one option: Fast and cheap, or slow and perfect. And we all know which one Industrial Mechanics like to do.”