CTS program offers valuable hands-on experience

Learning never stops, even when you are a teacher.

Earlier this month 10 high school teachers spent three days as students participating in a career technologies studies (CTS) welding program. Learning from Lakeland College’s journeyman welding instructors, the participants, including Dennis Hodinsky who’s been a shop teacher for 25 years, say they gained valuable hands-on experience.

“The experience was fantastic. Professional development like this is really important to me and very beneficial all around,” says Hodinsky, who teaches at Cold Lake High School. “The instructors were very flexible. They have a plan in place but are able to enhance it based on our needs. Their expertise was most helpful on the technical side along with their experience with their own students.”

Taught by Lakeland’s welding instructors Lyle Kragnes and Owen Lakusta, the purpose of the program was to build participants’ confidence and competence in their welding skills, so that they’re able to enhance the programs they offer in their respective schools.

“None of them are full-fledged welders so that’s why they are here, to get a little more experience from us who are full-time welders. They have all come in here ready to learn and wanting to learn,” says Lyle Kragnes, welding instructor. 

With a strong focus on safety, Kragnes says the program covered a range of welding processes including shielded metal arc welding (stick process) and gas metal arc welding (MIG process).

“There are all types of welding processes that they are unfamiliar with and while you can read about it in a book, it makes such a difference to gain that hands-on experience in this profession,” says Kragnes. “By coming here, they get the confidence and the knowledge they need to grow as teachers. It helps them which helps their students, and in turn we’re going to see some of their students back here as apprentice welders because of this. It’s helping everybody.”

Sarah Sarvis, who teaches at Vilna School in the Aspen View School Division, says the hands-on work has prepared her to help students learn how to weld in a safe and effective manner. 

“After taking this program, I know what to look for in a weld and how to help students improve their skills,” she says. “Lakeland’s instructors were professional and very helpful, they did a great job of helping us understand how to do proper welds and what they should look like.”

Travelling from several different school divisions to take this program, including Northern Lights, Aspen View and Elk Island, the high school teachers also networked with one another and shared best practices related to their teaching.

“It’s been such a positive experience to be able to stay on campus at Alumni House during this training session. The conversations continue after class which is great. We bounce ideas off one another and the instructors are learning from us too,” says Hodinsky, who completed his fourth class power engineering through Lakeland’s correspondence programs. 

Describing the program as a great opportunity to build confidence in his delivery of a high school welding program, Josh Backer says the experience enabled him to fine tune his welding skills and more.

“This gave me truly invaluable knowledge on welding pedagogy. Being able to speak with Lyle and Owen allowed me to create a solid high school welding program, but also to help make the transition into a potential apprenticeship even more accessible,” says Backer who teaches at Glendon School in the Northern Lights School Division. “On top of all of that, the collaboration amongst other CTS teachers from around the province was not only beneficial but a lot of fun. As a CTS teacher this has been the most beneficial professional development I have ever had."

Since August 2015, Lakeland College has offered CTS training to 288 participants. Lakeland offers diverse training in various areas which include welding, carpentry, electrical, mechanics and interior design courses. More than 400 high school students in the CTS strand travel to the Vermilion campus each year for training.

Photos: Top, the 10 high school teachers learned about several types of welding processes during the three-day CTS welding program at the Vermilion campus. Bottom, the high school teachers travelled from across Alberta to learn about welding at Lakeland College. Instructors Owen Lakusta (far left in back row) and Lyle Kragnes (far right back row) helped their "students" with their welding techniques and high school programs.