Apprentice engineers a skills win

Apprentice Millwright Mark Gauvin works on a project in the Hydraulics Shop in Dockyard. The 27-year-old says he owes much of his success to his job placement at Dockyard’s Fleet Maintenance Facility which he says has greatly enhanced his skill set. Photo credit FMF

Peter Mallett, Staff Writer ~

When Fleet Maintenance Facility (FMF) apprentice millwright Mark Gauvin looks back on 2016 he’ll fondly recall it as the year he travelled to his hometown and received national recognition for his trade skills.

Gauvin, who is studying for his ticket with the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) through a job placement in Dockyard, took first place in the 2016 Skills Canada competition Millwright category at the Moncton Coliseum last June. Gauvin, 27, was voted top apprentice from a field of 10 other competitors who put their skills to the test in building and setting up a pump and motor alignment. 

“The competition was fast-paced and stressful, but overall was a fun and friendly environment to compete. I got to meet many tradespeople that are all as enthusiastic about learning the trade,” said Gauvin who works in FMF’s hydraulics shop.

Competitors were marked on their ability to read and understand blueprints, the accuracy of their frame dimensions, holes drilled, quality of welds, the tolerances of their machine shaft, and their ability to follow safety procedures.

“I built a gearbox and motor alignment project,” said Gauvin. “Raw materials were provided so a rectangular base could be cut and fabricated to the specs along with the motor shaft.”

Once that was complete Gauvin then made sure the gearbox and bearings for the mock motor were fastened down.

“Alignments could then be done so the shafts of both units ran true,” he explains.

Skills Canada is a national organization with a mission to encourage and support a coordinated approach to promoting skilled trades and technology in youth. Each year it runs national skills competitions for its students who are studying for careers as tradespeople.

As top prize for Gauvin’s victory, BCIT received a $25,000 laser alignment tool that will be used at their Burnaby campus by aspiring millwrights and engineers. 

“The BCIT millwright department is extremely proud of Mark and his accomplishment on the national stage by winning the Skills Canada competition,” said Bryan Messer, Chief Instructor of Millwright at BCIT. “It is a reflection of the three entries of apprenticeship: the worker, the employer and the school, all working together to produce a creative, well-rounded millwright who can excel in many different situations.”

FMF Work Center manager Richard Turnbull describes Gauvin as “talented and hardworking”, noting the national title is also a reflection of the FMF’s ability to provide excellent hands-on training, and highlights a hiring process that brings in high-calibre apprentices.

A modest Gauvin says he owes much of his success and skill development to the diversity of tasks he performs at FMF.

“The great thing about the millwright apprenticeship in the FMF is that it is varied through the multiple shops we visit,” says Gauvin. “A lot of the work we do you won’t find outside [of the base], so it forces you to adapt and understand the mechanics of various systems.”