Overview
Alberta Advanced Education oversees apprentices in Alberta’s skilled trades sector. This includes youth and young adults that are pursuing careers and apprenticeships in a skilled trade.
Established in May 2024 under the Government Organization Act, the introduction of Skilled Trades Youth Ambassadors provides a direct pathway for collaboration between Alberta’s government and young adult apprentices of Alberta.
This advisory council will allow Alberta’s government to better inform decisions by identifying challenges and opportunities for Alberta’s youth in skilled trades. Ambassadors will support the Minister of Advanced Education in championing skilled trades and apprenticeships.
Membership
The advisory council consists of 11 ambassadors, a diverse group of young adults in skilled trades between the ages of 18 and 31. Each ambassador has been selected to serve on the council for a term of 6 months.
Current membership
| Ambassador | Trade |
|---|---|
| Mary Beazer | Cook |
| Dalin Duce | Heavy equipment technician |
| Christina Kucheruk | Instrumentation |
| Eden Marklund | Welder |
| Trinity Mehlhaff | Pre-employment automotive service technician |
| Ben Rainforth | Welder |
| Nathalie Roseberry | Plumber/gasfitter |
| Sydney Schuk | Welder |
| Andrew Shields | Heavy equipment technician |
| Chloe Sperling | Cabinet maker |
| Laine Van Hardeveld | Millwright |
Biographies
Mary Beazer
Mary Beazer, a cook apprentice, is currently working at Kindred Food and Drink, a restaurant at the esteemed J.W. Marriot Hotel in Edmonton.
Mary’s culinary journey began in high school where she won gold at both provincial and national levels in 2022. She earned gold at the Edmonton High School Culinary Challenge, which included a partial scholarship to NAIT for Culinary Arts. Newly graduated from NAIT’s Culinary Arts program, she recently competed and won third place in the 2024 Skills Provincials Competition.
As a culinary mentor volunteer at St. Joseph High School, Mary aspires to teach upcoming culinary art students and deeply appreciates the fast-paced environment of the kitchen and the way food can bring a community together.
Beyond the kitchen, Mary enjoys gardening, rock climbing and spending time with family.
Dalin Duce
Dalin Duce, a second year heavy equipment technician apprentice, began his post-secondary journey in engineering and accounting. With a strong belief that finding the right career is a process of discovering yourself, he decided to return to his roots: fixing and building, a hobby he enjoys. After making the leap, Dalin is currently employed at Denmax energy services.
As a recipient of the Lakeland College, Scott L. Treffry Memorial Award, Dalin appreciates the tremendous support that is given to students and looks forward to giving back and supporting fellow and future students in the trades.
Outside of work, Dalin enjoys canoeing with his family, gardening and watching operas with chocolate and a cup of tea.
Christina Kucheruk
Christina Kucheruk is an Instrumentation and Control Technician apprentice, currently pursuing an education at Northwestern Polytechnic. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree after finding an interest in working in environment sciences.
In the past, Christina had never considered a career in the trades. But – after receiving inspiration from her fiancé, who works in the oil and gas industry, Christina decided to make a career change. Since then, she has thrived in the trades environment, appreciating the job satisfaction and problem solving that comes with a career in instrumentation.
Eden Marklund
Eden Marklund, a member of the Boilermakers Union 146, is a journeyperson pursuing a career in welding.
In high school, Eden was awarded the Alberta High School Registered Apprenticeship Program student scholarship for her trade. After gaining much experience in welding, Eden decided to pursue a second trade and has begun her boilermaker apprenticeship, currently working in the oilfield.
Growing up in Hinton, Eden spends most of her time dirt biking, spending time with her dogs and exploring. She is passionate about furthering her welding career and is driven to expand her knowledge and share it with others.
Trinity Mehlhaff
Trinity Mehlaff, a bartender in her hometown of Taber, recently finished her pre-employment studies at Lethbridge College to become an automotive mechanic. Before entering the Automotive Technician program, Trinity was awarded the Ed and Pat Nestorowicz Entrance Award and the Lethbridge Automotive Dealers Association Award.
In her spare time, she can be found working with her barrel racing horse or out on a drift track with her Nissan 300zx. In the future, she wants to specialize in diesel mechanics and expand her knowledge within the trade.
Ben Rainforth
Ben Rainforth, a Red Seal welder from Lacombe, is currently employed by Arrow Arc Welding. Having grown up on a farm with an interest in trades, he began his welding journey in high school and has not looked back since.
Ben completed all 3 years of his technical training at Red Deer Polytechnic and has been an avid competitor in Skills Alberta since 2018, winning the Skills Canada competition in 2023. Through winning, he earned a spot on Team Canada for the 2024 Works Skills competition in Lyon, France, where he will represent Canada in welding.
In his spare time, Ben enjoys camping and backpacking through Alberta’s beautiful mountain landscape.
Nathalie Roseberry
Nathalie Roseberry is a Project Manager at Goldbar Contractors, with a wide variety of expertise in commercial and light industrial applications. Her career began as a registered plumbing/gas apprentice, finishing her Red Seal in 2018.
During her apprenticeship, Nathalie was awarded gold in the Skills Alberta Plumbing Competition and Silver in the National Skills Competition. Over the past 6 years, she has been a volunteer for Skills Alberta and is currently the Program Advisory Committee Chair for the NAIT Advanced Plumbing Diploma program.
Active in her community, Nathalie volunteers at several high school trade events, working to educate youth about fulfilling career opportunities in the trades. Nathalie is currently pursuing further education with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Management) at NAIT. She is extremely driven to make a positive impact for the future of skilled trades in Alberta.
In her spare time, Nathalie is an active hiker, cyclist and enjoys spending time with her family.
Sydney Schuk
Sydney Schuk is a first year welder apprentice currently working at Leading Manufacturer Group Inc. Sydney has been honoured to receive the ‘Women in Trades’ and ‘Centennial Trades & Technology’ Awards, also receiving Dean’s Honour List status for her academic success through Lakeland College’s Pre-Employment Welder Program.
She has recently acquired her Canadian Welding Bureau certification for all positions with Flux-cored arc welding. Through her education, she has enjoyed the opportunity to tutor a dual credit welding student and is now working toward Red Seal certification and gaining her B Pressure Ticket.
Sydney’s hobbies include bullet journaling, reading and spending time with her horses.
Andrew Shields
Growing up in a small town and being surrounded by agriculture his entire life, Andrew Shields is a journeyman Heavy Equipment Technician currently working in agriculture. Throughout his life, Andrew never had the opportunity to farm, which is something he is passionate about. After finding an additional passion, he decided to pursue mechanics.
Over the past 5 years, Andrew has grown to love mechanics. He has had the opportunity to work out of a service truck for the last year, opening an entirely new area of his career.
An aspect that Andrew loves about his career is meeting new people every day and customer satisfaction. It is this passion that pushes him to learn about the evolving industry and technology that customers rely on every day.
Chloe Sperling
Chloe Sperling, a cabinet maker apprentice, graduated with Honours with Distinction from high school in 2021 and has been on the Dean’s Honour Roll at NAIT for both the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years. Her love for carpentry was sparked by an opportunity to explore woodworking on weekends through NAIT. Through this sparked interest, she began the Millwork and Carpentry program at NAIT and is currently in her second year, apprenticing at McMurray Interiors.
Chloe has been involved in the Skills Alberta competition, competing in 2023 and 2024 and was awarded a bronze medal as a first-year apprentice. She has also been awarded both the Dorothy O’Neill Skills Canada Entrance Award and Dr Preitz award for Outstanding Excellence in Millwork and Carpentry.
Chloe enjoys creative pursuits, challenging herself with exciting new projects, travelling abroad, music festivals and photography. She is passionate about higher learning, appreciates her dedicated instructors at NAIT and has a strong belief in promoting women in trades.
Laine Van Hardeveld
Laine Van Hardeveld is a Mechanical Engineering Technologist with a specialization in Automation Robotics. Laine is also a Red Seal Millwright, currently working for Saputo Dairy Products Canada at their Riverway cheese plant.
During her time at SAIT, Laine displayed her passion and aptitude for Trades and Technologies by competing in the Skills Canada and Skills Alberta trades competitions. Having competed in both Mechatronics and Industrial Mechanic/Millwright, she has achieved 2 provincial gold medals, 2 national silver medals and has been a Team Canada Prospect for both competition areas. This year, Laine was named Skills Canada Alberta’s Alumni of the Year.
In her free time, Laine enjoys riding her motorcycle, curling up with her cat and a good book, watching Formula 1 and 3D printing. Laine aspires to continue volunteering for Skills Alberta while working in industrial automation, eventually making her way into Research and Development.
News
- Amplifying young voices in the skilled trades (May 22, 2024)
Contact
Connect with the Skilled Trades Youth Ambassadors Secretariat:
Email: [email protected]