Ben Poirier has always enjoyed working with his hands.

For the last few months, the Oakville 19-year-old has been gaining valuable hands-on experience working for contractor Bob Assadourian, of Triple R. Inc.

Working on a Hamilton Mountain basement renovation, Poirier has done everything from insulation, foundation repair, drywall installation, framing, tiling, and flooring.

Assadourian, based in Stoney Creek, connected with Poirier through the Centre for Skills Development, an independent charity that delivers free, government-funded programs to help people at various stages of life find career success, according to its website. The Centre for Skills Development has offices in Burlington, Mississauga, Oakville and Milton.

“The (centre) is amazing,” said Poirier. “Doing renovations gives you a good understanding of basically everything in the home. I get to learn so many different things and get hands-on experience in all of it, which is great.”

Poirier has been commuting to Hamilton from Oakville each day.

He completed a 20-week program at the Centre for Skills Development called Get in Gear, which includes in-class and workplace experience.

“You do a mix of everything. You do machining, electrical, construction. They try to give you a good understanding of what is out there for you to do,” Poirier noted.

Keep reading on thespec.com

• 
•