Maple Ridge, B.C. – Last Thursday, MCABC participated in the SD42 Skilled Trades Showcase at Thomas Haney Secondary School. We joined students, parents, educators, and industry partners for an evening focused on career exploration and real-world insight into the skilled trades.
Hosted by Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows School District (SD42), the annual showcase is designed to give students and families direct access to industry voices and hands-on experiences. With interactive displays, breakout conversations, and opportunities to ask practical questions, the event helps demystify the trades and highlight the range of pathways available after graduation.
This year’s event saw record participation with an estimated 900 attendees. According to event organizer Brad Dingler, Coordinator of District Partnerships, feedback from students and parents reflected a consistent theme: they had not realized how many doors a career in the trades could open and valued the opportunity to speak directly with industry representatives.
This feedback speaks directly to MCABC’s Skilled Trades pillar, which in part focuses on promoting the mechanical trades as exciting, fulfilling, and financially rewarding career paths. By increasing awareness of the diverse and evolving roles within the mechanical industry — across the industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential sectors — MCABC aims to ensure today’s students can see themselves in the workforce that will deliver B.C.’s future infrastructure.
Check out our videos recapping the event and highlighting the trades we represent below:
Modern Mechanical Construction
At the MCABC booth, students were introduced to virtual design and prefabrication by MCABC and NextGen Board member Le Hien Huynh of Division 15 Mechanical.
Using real project examples, Le Hien showed how Building Information Modelling, or BIM, is used to design and test mechanical systems before construction begins – helping teams spot and resolve problems before they arise on site. The demonstration gave students and parents a clear look at how modern mechanical work goes far beyond a plunger and a wrench.
Industry Conversations and Hands-On Learning
MCABC member Adam Portman, a Red Seal plumber and site superintendent with Davidson Bros., participated in a breakout session with students and parents interested in plumbing and pipefitting. Adam shared insights into getting started in the trade, what the day-to-day looks like, and his own experience progressing into a site superintendent role.
Back at the MCABC booth, Adam led a hands-on demonstration of a ProPEX expansion tool, kindly provided by MCABC member Vaughan Ventures. Students were tasked with creating a mini-system using tubing, tees, and plugs, giving them a practical sense of how modern plumbing systems are assembled and how secure connections are achieved.
Investing in our Industry’s Future
By supporting events like this one, MCABC aims to encourage greater awareness and interest in the mechanical trades, and help more young people see these careers as exciting, rewarding, and essential to British Columbia’s future.
This work is part of our ongoing mission to develop a diverse, skilled, and innovative mechanical contracting industry – one that can continue to drive B.C.’s economy and respond to its growing infrastructure demand.
MCABC thanks School District 42, event organizer Brad Dingler, participating industry partners, our members who generously offered their time and expertise, and the student volunteers who helped make the event possible. We look forward to continuing to support initiatives that connect students, families, and industry in meaningful ways.
About
The Mechanical Contractors Association of B.C. (MCABC) is the dedicated representative of the mechanical contracting industry in British Columbia – the industry with the largest share of skilled trades workers in the construction sector. As the connection to industry excellence for our diverse membership, we deliver education and professional development programs that enable high standards of practice and business success. Through advocacy and strong industry partnerships, we influence policy and regulatory development at all levels of government, advancing the interests of our industry and improving its ability to meet B.C.’s growing infrastructure demand.
Media Contact
Conor Brendan Dunne
Manager, Communications & Stakeholder Engagement
cdunne@mcabc.org
(604) 205-5058
