Fifteen years into his career, Darin Sinal went from being a foreman to a first-year apprentice.

"It was a culture shock," the 37-year-old said.

Sinal, a Red Seal certified carpenter, had been working for a contractor at Teck Cominco when the company started offering apprenticeships two years ago.

"I had started being a carpenter and had done that for 15 years, but you kind of get stale," he said. "Construction goes up and down. This way you’re always there, you always have a job and with pipefitting, a lot of the layout is similar to carpentry."

He had always known that he would pursue a career in the trades, but pipefitting and steamfitting were not in the original plan.

"It definitely helps having another trade when you’re doing a new one," Sinal said. "You know . . . how to problem-solve, how to tackle it, troubleshoot. And it’s work experience in industrial atmospheres, too."

Now entering his Level 4 pipefitting apprenticeship at Teck Cominco, Sinal is working on a gas crew doing maintenance work, but in the next few weeks he could find himself somewhere else on the job site. Through Teck Cominco’s training program, apprentices in eight trades are rotated through five business areas. That could see Sinal maintaining underground utilities – including 100-year-old wooden pipes – or commercial work, such as installing and maintaining sprinklers.

"They always put you with a journeyman, and they move you around, so you really get a wide variety of people," he said of the company’s training and mentoring approach. "Everyone works differently. You take what you think is best and run with it."

The knowledge and expertise he’s been gaining seems to be paying off. Last year, Sinal placed first in the apprenticeship category of the B.C. Institute of Technology’s piping-skills competition. He shrugs the win off.

"It didn’t leak," he said of his entry. "It was pretty good. Good enough to get first." He also downplays his excellent marks – 97 per cent in Level 1, 98 per cent in Level 2, and 97 per cent in Level 3 – as being no big deal.

While he may be humble about his accomplishments, Sinal has been highly involved in ensuring the training program meets the needs of its apprentices. He sits on a committee with union and trade representatives who meet with management to offer advice on how to improve the program.

And while he still hasn’t completed his fourth-year apprenticeship, he’s already planning to get his A gas ticket in two years, which will allow him to work on industrial and heavy commercial boilers and the types of furnaces often seen in smelters and refineries.

"Pipefitting could open a lot of doors for me," he said. "There’s tons of opportunity all over – it’s a high-demand trade."

That’s exactly the sort of advice he gives to youth in Trail. As a minor-league hockey coach for the last 15 seasons, he often finds himself promoting careers in trades to his players.

"The kids I work with are always asking about my job and I always tell them it’s good. It’s a good living if you like doing a little hard work, and working outside, it’s always fun.