13 Nunavummiut headed for national trades skills competition

Annie Buscemi will get the opportunity to showcase her ability as an electrician next week at a national competition in Vancouver.

“I’m really excited, but also really nervous,” said Buscemi, who is from Iqaluit.

She’ll be one of 13 members of the Skills Canada Nunavut team competing at the national Skills Canada competition from May 25 to 28.

Skills Canada is an organization that encourages young Canadians to get involved in skilled trades and technology. Skills Canada Nunavut operates as its own territorial organization.

With a significant portion of the Canadian trades workforce near retirement and with jobs available in Nunavut, getting more youths into the trades is a goal of Skills Canada Nunavut, said executive director Janis Devereaux.

Buscemi is among five post-secondary students from Nunavut headed to Vancouver to compete, while the other eight team members will take part virtually.

Selected earlier this year at a territorial competition, the team also includes, in post-secondary: David Aglukark, competing in web technology; Matilda Pinksen, graphic design; Mac Pavia, photography; and Eli Qaqqasiq Taqtu, alumni/youth skills for success.

Secondary school members are: Ben Heming, workplace safety; Willow Watson, 2-D animation; Maple Faulks, graphic design; Amelia Mike-Mathieu, hairstyling; Ella Estey, job demonstration; Katie Yu, public speaking.

Two other members who were to compete in video production — Declan Robertson Laforet and Lazarus Aqatsiaq — are unavailable to take part.

This year’s competition in Vancouver will be the first to be held in-person in two years because of COVID-19.

It’s an exciting event with competitions, trade shows and large numbers of people and organizations from different sectors in the trades participating, Devereaux said.

In the years before COVID-19, she said, it could have as many as 10,000 people there.

“It’s like the Olympics of the skilled trades and technology sector,” she said.

Buscemi will be competing nationally for the first time. A couple of years ago, she took part in the territorial skills competition on the recommendation of a friend and finished in second place.

She said her journey to becoming an electrician started about three years ago when she applied to the trade school in Rankin Inlet.

Initially, her plan was to go into carpentry since she enjoyed that in high school. But when that class was full, she decided on electrical work.

“It probably wasn’t the easiest, but I fell in love with it,” Buscemi said.

Problem-solving and being able to work with her hands are what she said enjoys most about the work, as well as every day being a new challenge.

Buscemi said she would love to see more women working in the skilled trades.

According to trade industry organization Buildshare, women’s share of employment in construction in Canada was only 12.4 per cent in 2017.

Having more women in the industry would mean having more women around her on the job site or in training. Buscemi said there have been times in her work where she was the only female present.

Being Inuit is also important for Buscemi, and something she intends to display when she goes to Vancouver.

“Representation is really important to me,” she said, adding she thinks this might be the first time a competitor will have a traditional face tattoo.

Buscemi said she thought about how she might be seen during the competition with a face tattoo and that other Inuit will see her in the industry, which she hopes will encourage them to join the trades.

She said she hopes Inuit see her and think: “If she’s Inuk and I’m Inuk, then I can do it too.”