Tyler Bendfeld was inspired by his father to become a carpenter and inspired by his Lakeland instructors to take those skills to the provincial and national levels. This spring, he brought home provincial gold at Skills Alberta and national silver at Skills Canada.

“It was an honour to compete for Lakeland at Skills Alberta,” says Bendfeld, a second-year carpentry apprentice from Heisler, Alta. “It was awesome to win gold at provincials and know that the level I was at with my carpentry was enough to beat competitors from all the other schools in Alberta.”

Bendfeld's father was a carpenter and he grew up surrounded by woodworking, making it into a hobby. After graduating high school, he decided to pursue a career in it, registering as an apprentice with a construction company in Rosalind, Alta., and completing his apprenticeship training at Lakeland College. He just completed his second year of training.

Bendfeld counts his participation in the 2022 Skills Alberta and Skills Canada competitions among the highlights of his Lakeland experience.

“The biggest thing I learned was to stay focused and relaxed when working in a tight timeline,” he explains. “My instructors supported me through the whole process. It's been awesome to learn from them.”

That support extends beyond the Skills competition and Bendfeld credits it with helping develop him into an adaptable and capable carpenter.

“The faculty at Lakeland have always been helpful, kind and informative. They've taught me more than I ever imagined I would learn. They always greet you with a smile and are happy to have a conversation, whether it's about school or what I did on the weekend.”
Training at Lakeland also gave Bendfeld the opportunity to learn from his fellow students while living in residence with people from other trades and programs.

“The kindness and ability of everyone to get along at Lakeland was amazing,” he explains. “People want to get to know you and everyone is willing to help. Everyone is at Lakeland to learn and grown in their career, and it makes for a good campus atmosphere.”
After his impressive feat at the skills competitions, Bendfeld is already planning to compete again to bring home more than one gold medal for Lakeland and to graduate as a red seal carpenter.

“Lakeland has really pushed me to grow in my profession,” Bendfeld says. “It has made me a proficient and effective carpenter as well as making me a more social and open-minded person inside and out of the workplace.”

Photo: Tyler Bendfeld competes at Skills Canada. Photo courtesy of Skills Canada.