Spencer Mann works in the lab at Medicine Hat College. (Photo Courtesy Chris Brown)

By Chris Brown

Placed second at Skills Canada nationals

Local apprentice one of the best in Canada

May 31, 2022 | 9:19 AM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – A local second-year apprentice is among the best in the country in his field, even competing against third- and fourth-year peers.

Spencer Mann is a steamfitter/pipefitter apprentice at Medicine Hat College.

In early May he won gold in the Skills Canada Alberta Competition and last week he was in Vancouver for nationals and took silver.

“Not a gold but compared to the whole country I think silver’s pretty good,” he said.

For the competitions, Mann had to build a three-piece mitre with a true wye on the end, getting angles and measurements correct, and do copper bending, threading and soldering.

WHAT'S ON

Here is what's on this weekend in Medicine Hat and area: Dec. 13-15

Dec 14, 2024

IN THE COMMUNITY

Medicine Hat's Mustard Seed adding new shelter spaces at Alberta government's request

Dec 12, 2024

HOLIDAYS

Medicine Hat Kiwanis hosting Christmas dinner, applications due Friday

Dec 12, 2024

He says instructors at the college taught him well and he spent hours outside of class practising.

“I would stay probably two to three hours most days during the week after school and then probably four to five hours on the weekend just because I didn’t, I’ve never done anything like that before so I need the practice,” he says.

He adds the trades are a lot more than many people realize. In addition to the well-known pipefitting, refrigeration repair and carpentry, aerospace technology and landscaping are some of the less-obvious trades that were contested at Skills Canada.

“It’s definitely a big part of everywhere anywhere in the world the trades are just a big part of the community and people should really look into what they are and what they do,” he says. “Because people don’t know everything but once they do learn then they start to think ‘oh well we wouldn’t have that if it wasn’t for them.'”

Mann encourages anyone thinking of getting into the trades to also get into the Skills Canada competitions.

“It’s definitely worth getting into the skills competitions and going and competing because there’s a lot of people out there that I’ve talked to, they’ve done it many years back-to-back and they’ve loved it. It’s a great experience,” he says.