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Wired for a trades career

Leland Chinna is a three-time competitor at Skills Canada NWT's territorial competition, and electrical wiring is leading to bigger and better things.

Leland Chinna, who's from Fort Good Hope, is a fourth-year electrical apprentice on the verge of becoming a journeyman. He has competed at the Skills Canada NWT territorial competition three times.
photo courtesy of Leland Chinna

Chinna, who hails from Fort Good Hope, rigged up electrical boxes at the competition from 2015 to 2017. He would construct the boxes to specified dimensions, and using electrical conduit or cables, wire them according to code. He always enjoyed the experience, he said.

"I have some friends that I've met over years, through school and other people doing electrical, and I've been telling my friends from Inuvik and other parts of the North that they should try to compete (in the territorial skills competition) too," said Chinna.

He isn't sure if he'll be at this year's competition, scheduled for April 27 to 28 in Yellowknife. His focus has been on completing his academics at school in Red Deer, Alta., with the prospect of earning journeyman status in March.

"I'm that close. I can see over the hill," he said, chuckling.

The amount of work in trades school far surpasses what was required of him in high school, said Chinna, 26, whose first three years of classes were in Fort Smith.

"There's lot of early mornings and late nights, studying on the weekends," he said. "It's stressful but worth it."

Chinna's interest in an electrical career was sparked by his exposure to trades through his work at Ekati mine. He was stationed in the process plant in 2011 and said he was captivated by the tasks electricians were completing on site.

"I'm coming from a small community and there aren't many people doing these types of things," he said. "The main interest, the things that are influencing me, are to become a role-model type person for the people back home and the surrounding communities. It doesn't matter where you're coming from – if I can do it, you could do it too."

During his progression as an electrical apprentice with Dominion Diamond Corporation, he's gradually been entrusted to take on more complicated assignments.

"I get more job roles and a little bit more independence as far as work goes out in the field," he said, adding that he aspires "to move up into higher roles" with the company.

"I see myself staying with Dominion Diamonds for as long as I possibly could, and maybe start working with the youth back home, maybe in the future on time off, or something," said Chinna.

In addition to the territorial skills competition – which leads to national championship eligibility for gold-medal winners – Skills Canada NWT organizes career expos and exploration workshops as well as skills clubs and workshops in communities.