PAGE A2 – January 2009 – The GTA Construction Report
Young, gifted carpenter to represent Canada at the WorldSkills Competition
MATTHEW DESROSIERS – The GTA Construction Report
The competitions vary from one to four “I’m still the same guy at work,” he said.
days in length. The WorldSkills competition “I just put a lot more time in at night. I
It started when he was a kid. in 2005, Blair continued on to the provin- will be four days. Competitors will receive enjoy doing it, and I want to put the time in
Maybe Scott Blair’s grandfather, who cial level where he won gold again. He a sketch prior to the competition, showing so I can do my best.”
was a carpenter by trade, passed something moved up to the Canadian Skills Competi- an image of the construction project. They His employer is very supportive of him,
along to his grandson. Or maybe it was the tion that year in Edmonton, where he won do not receive the detailed plans until the allowing him to leave early on Fridays, and
fancy advertisements on television during the silver medal. start of competition, however. sometimes to leave altogether to attend
the holiday seasons for K’Nex, Blair’s Determined to pursue his passion, Blair “They’re pretty challenging projects, and events such as the Ottawa Woodworking
favourite construction toy, that first piqued set up a workshop at home so he could con- speed is a big factor.” Show that was held at the end of November
his interest in building. Whatever it was, tinue working after school hours. In the 2008 national Canadian Skills 2008.
he’s been a builder ever since. “I was always working in the shop at Competition , of 12 competitors, only five, Blair took part in a build during the
“I used to make my own designs,” Blair night,” he said. including Blair, were able to finish the proj- tradeshow to raise money for Habitat for
said, referring to the K’Nex sets that fit to- The results were tangible. In 2008, Blair ect. The projects are designed to test a car- Humanity. He and other volunteers each
gether similarly to Lego blocks. “They competed once again in the provincial com- penter’s overall skill. Judges evaluate each built their own children’s playhouse, valued
would give me designs to build, then I’d go petition, this time as an apprentice repre- project, which is marked to the nearest 1/16 at $6,500 each. The playhouses will be raf-
off and build my own.” senting Algonquin College. Taking home of an inch. fled off later this year.
So it was to no one’s surprise when the gold medal in the individual carpentry “The national competition in Calgary The show organizers wanted to bring
Blair, in his grade 10 workshop class, took division earned him a spot in the national was for a kid’s playhouse, using timber- Blair to the rest of their shows in Canada.
an immediate interest in carpentry. competition in Calgary, where he won the frame joinery,” he said. “There were lots of “They wanted us in all their shows be-
“I really enjoyed working with wood bronze medal. Blair was the top eligible different joints, and nine pages of blue- cause we bring in a crowd,” said Brigham.
through high school,” the 21-year-old car- competitor for the international event, earn- prints.” “It’s training for him with all those people
penter said. “I got involved with Skills ing him the honour of representing Canada Now a fully licensed carpenter and grad- distracting him. He’s got to accomplish a
Canada at the high school level.” at the WorldSkills Competition later this uate from Algonquin College, Blair must project with thousands of people walking
His workshop teacher noticed Blair’s in- year. complete 10 hours of training per week as by him nonstop. He’s got to concentrate on
terest and skill level in carpentry, so decided “It’s early yet, but there’s definitely a bit part of his contract with Skills Canada. He his job, so it’s training for the main event.”
to sign him up to compete at the regional of pressure to do well, being the host coun- enlisted Dan Brigham, one of his professors As part of his preparation, Skills Canada
Skills Canada - Ontario Competition in Ot- try,” Blair said. “Once you get going, you from college, to be his trainer. Brigham was sends the third member of Blair’s team, the
tawa. It was here Blair, now in grade 12, get in a certain mindset and just work on also one of the judges during Blair’s first expert, who is part of Alberta’s Apprentice-
showed his true colour. Gold. your project, trying not to let anybody else competition in Ottawa, back in 2005. ship and Industry Training division, to
After winning the regional competition distract you while you’re working.” “We’re not worried,” Brigham said. check up on his skills during other compe-
“You should see him work, he’s a natural. titions. There are two test points, as they
He’s going to do his best, and that’s all we call them, where Blair must show the extent
can expect.” of his skills during competition.
As a testament to how gifted Blair is, The next test point for the team is in Ot-
Brigham explained that for the national tawa during the spring, which is a four-day
competition where he finished third overall, event that mimics the main event in Sep-
the young carpenter hadn’t done any train- tember.
ing whatsoever. Under Brigham, however, The international competition will be an
that has changed. uphill battle for Blair that will truly test his
“My goal is to get him everything he training up until that point.
could possibly need for training, and hope “The processes we use to build (in
to heck we got it right,” he said. “From Canada) are not being used around the
there on, (Blair’s) skills will take over.” world,” explained Brigham. “He’s going to
As part of his training regimen, Blair have a project that’s designed with all of
meets up with Brigham every Friday at Al- these countries in mind, without knowing
gonquin College, who have donated space what it is or how they’re going to develop
in their carpentry shop for him to train. the project for that main event. It is a chal-
“I give him drawings on certain types of lenge for us because we have specific stan-
projects that I feel, as we’re progressing dards.”
through his skills levels, that I (want him to During his training, Blair will be ex-
do), and he’s got to construct them,” said posed to everything imaginable that is pos-
Brigham. “So he’s got to take raw materi- sible with wood, Brigham said. There have
als and construct something.” been some very exotic projects in past
The pair concentrated on hand tools to events, however, the ace in the hole is
begin with, moving on to power tools, and Brigham himself, who has traveled and
imperial and metric drawings. Blair still worked in various parts of the world.
uses the shop he built for himself back in “I know what they’re doing over there,”
high school. he said. “My advantage is I know what he’ll
“He does a lot of work at night,” said be going up against in various countries.
Brigham. “He’ll take stuff home, and the Not all, but quite a few.”
following week bring it back.” From there, it all falls on Blair who is the
Between now and September, Blair’s only Canadian representative in carpentry,
only obligations are to train, and win a gold and who only has this one opportunity to
medal for Canada at the WorldSkills Com- make it happen.
petition. “This is the main man here,” said
However, there are challenges along the Brigham. “This is the star of Canada.”
way. Blair is determined to stay focused and
Blair works full time for Kinch’s Car- have his best showing yet at the WorldSkills
pentry in Smith’s Falls, specializing in Competition later this year. He will be ready
building insulated concrete form homes. to show how all of his hard work, training
With all his time taken up with work and and sacrifices have paid off by testing him-
training, Blair has made a complete sacri- self against other, equally determined car-
fice of his personal life. penters on the world stage.
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