Maya Diamond: Building Carpentry Skills One Step At A Time 

The North Island College (NIC) Trades Training Centre in the Comox Valley campus is a spacious and modern facility with an expansive carpentry shop and bright classrooms, the perfect learning space for skilled trades apprentices to learn their trade.  It is there that we meet with Maya Diamond, a Youth Train in Trades Program participant who enrolled in the 24-week Carpentry Foundation program in her Grade 12 year.  

Maya’s love of carpentry started when she was young – and you could say it was literally built around her. Her dad built one of their houses when she was young and she always admired it. “I always thought it was really cool being able to build your own things. And it was kind of like a form of art. It's nice to be able to build beautiful stuff.” She would help her dad with projects but it wasn’t until she began attending high school woodworking and shop class that she started to take it more seriously. 

Maya clearly had some talent as she won gold at the 2024 Skills Canada BC North Island Regional carpentry competition, enabling her to participate in the Provincial competition (April 2024). She admits it took a gentle push from District Career Support Teacher Steve Claassen to register and compete but she’s glad he did. “Steve Claassen volunteered me for it, and I'm very, very happy he did because it worked out really well. I was the only girl doing the carpentry portion of it and the only student from my high school. It was really nice to be able to represent my school and all of the women in carpentry.” 

As a young woman in trades, she’s felt nothing but support throughout her journey. When asked about mentors who helped her along the way, she mentioned her dad and the woodworking and shop teachers that encouraged her skill development in areas other than carpentry, such as electrical and plumbing (through a Construction Trades Sampler in Grade 11).  

Maya spent the last half of her Grade 12 year at NIC and fully took advantage of the modern facilities and advanced pace of learning. “They have really awesome shops and it's nice to be able to work on bigger projects… People work faster and tools aren't getting held up as much. It's nice to be able to work on your projects more freely and you don't have to stand in a line to wait to use a tool.” The Youth Train in Trades Program allowed her to earn credits towards her Grade 12 graduation and complete her Level 1 technical training for Carpentry. She also earned work-based training hours towards her apprenticeship. It was a great start to her apprenticeship journey. 

Maya encourages students considering skilled trades training to look into programs in high school. “I would say to definitely take advantage of all the opportunities that people offer you and just try and have fun with it. Don't think of it as pressure. Think of it as building options for your career path.”  

Even though she’s just starting the first steps in a carpentry apprenticeship, she sees this as only one of many pursuits she’d like to pursue in her life. “Hopefully in ten years I will have my Red Seal… traveling and maybe go back to school for something different because I've got lots of different curiosities.” Outside of class, she enjoys outdoor activities and works part-time in a bakery – a multi-talented young woman!   

Only time will tell what paths Maya will take – but with her determination and positive attitude, you know success will be in the cards. Maya has already set herself up with some fantastic early experiences so far, with a gold medal and Level 1 Carpentry technical training completed before graduating high school. Getting a head start via Youth Programs has given her the ability to try out trades early in her career, allowing her the flexibility to try out multiple interests while gaining valuable experience. Best of luck, Maya!