Hundreds of Calgary Catholic students ditched their desks for a day of pipes, wrenches, and a glimpse into what could be their future on Tuesday.

About 200 middle-school-aged students across the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) spent the morning of Oct. 20 on a field trip to the city’s northeast industrial area to experience life in the trades.

Hosted in partnership with the Calgary Construction Association and the Alberta Roofing Contractors Association (ARCA), the event took place at their shared warehouse located off Pegasus Road NE.

Students gathered in groups and circled the warehouse, visiting tabletop stations that highlighted nine different trades. Industry representatives talked them through crash-course demonstrations in carpentry, electrical, and everything in between. 

Kashvi, a Grade 6 student, kicked off the day at the Wiehler Plumbing and Heating station, learning what it means to be a drainie, from the tools they use to the parts they install. She said that she found the intricacies of pipefitting the most interesting.

“It was about building with the pipes, and it was really cool,” said Kashvi. 

“How they use the tools to, like, put them together, that was really cool.”

Another Grade 6 student, Jeoffry, said he has always wanted to get into building, whether that’s parking garages, houses, or high-rises. He said that the field trip reminded him of this, and that he is eager to get started. 

“It’s very fun and exciting. I can’t wait to do a future job,” said Jeoffry. 

“If I can manage to get one, I’ll be so happy.”

Students eligible for the trip included those in Grades 5 and 6, which the CCSD said was intentional, since this is usually when conversations about careers start. It aligns with other district efforts to make the trades attractive to adolescents.

Showing today’s students to fill tomorrow’s steel-toed boots

Nicknamed “try a trade” day, the initiative is the second of its kind, though much larger than the district’s earlier pilot, which focused on one school. Steve Laberge, supervisor of learning services at the CCSD, said expanding it is meant to reach more students.

“We ask kids, ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ and we just want to give them an opportunity to see some of the opportunities that are out there as they start to consider that question,” he said. 

“We just want to maybe plant a seed and maybe spark something that might be an interest to them, which one day might become a career pathway they want to pursue.”

Laberge explained that the district has been pushing the trades alongside post-secondary education for some time. This follows the successful implementation of the CCSD’s Honour the Work STEAMS kits, which the district provided to more than 800 elementary classrooms in 2024.

“You ask a kid what they want to be when they grow up; in my time, they all said doctors, lawyers, engineers — there’s nothing wrong with that,” he said. 

“But we also need framers, we need carpenters, we need plumbers, we need roofers. We’re going to need all of those things, and there are students that are going to thrive in those environments.”

Karen Rutherford, executive director of the ARCA, said that they have been happy to work with the district to bring these experiences to students, echoing that as major projects continue to be approved in Alberta and across the country, skilled tradespeople are needed.

“There’s a shortage of trades coming because the baby boomers are exiting out,” she said. 

“We’re willing to invest a day of our time, when we should be doing other things, to plant this seed now. These kids will be the journeymen in 10 years’ time.”

Rutherford said the argument that artificial intelligence will replace people doesn’t apply to the trades conversation, adding that demand for workers will continue and that getting students interested starts with explaining it in a way that gets their attention. 

“Knowing that we’re going to build way more schools and hospitals, no doubt more high-rises, we’re going to need this next generation to think it’s a cool trade, a trade to be proud of,” she said.

“What our tradespeople love is to be able to point and say, ‘I built that.’”