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Small class, big future: FPDI helps transform a dream into a career path

One of Ayden Dyck’s most enduring childhood memories is of watching his dad Rob perform odd jobs around the family’s home in Riverton.

“Growing up, it was always a hassle with the pipes and other stuff going on in the house: the toilet not working, the hot water not running. My dad was a single dad so he was always fixing everything himself,” Dyck recalls.

“Seeing that, I always wanted to do something with plumbing when I grew up.”

Dyck, now 21, is a step closer to realizing that career dream thanks to First People’s Development Inc. FPDI is a non-profit organization that facilitates partnerships aimed at developing and delivering training-to-employment programs in partnership with 28 Manitoba First Nations communities.

Last spring, Dyck enrolled in a pre-employment plumbing program offered by FPDI in conjunction with the Piping Industry Technical College of Manitoba (PITC).

The 10-month program teaches students about the latest plumbing industry techniques and tools and provides them with hands-on opportunities to learn everything from cutting and measuring pipe to installing valves, reading blueprints and interpreting plumbing code. Tuition is free for qualifying applicants.

Dyck learned about the FPDI plumbing program from his older brother Mac, a Level 2 carpenter who read about the course online. He quickly applied, was accepted into the program a few weeks later and began his studies this past April.

Dyck says the best part of the FPDI program is that it provides students with hands-on learning opportunities. In addition to in-class learning, students spend half their day in a shop where they do everything from installing sinks and water lines to performing MIG (metal inert gas) welding and rigging.

“We were actually working with the tools rather than just looking at the tool and writing down what it does. You actually see how something works that way. You grasp things more easily.”

Another aspect of the program Dyck appreciated was its small class size. He was part of a cohort of just nine students taking part in the program. That meant that he and his fellow students could get one-on-one instruction from teacher Craig Gertley if they were struggling with some of the concepts they were learning.

“It just made it that much easier. Whoever needed the extra help and wasn’t understanding, he’d go and make sure you understood it. It didn’t matter how long it took.”

Dyck’s journey to become a plumber took another step forward in September when he was hired by Servco Service. Servco is a division of ServcoCanada and offers a range of commercial and industrial plumbing solutions, maintenance and repairs.

For now, he is working as a trainee in the company’s tool crib where he organizes tools and packs up sea can shipping containers. He is hoping to move into an apprentice role in the next couple of months.

Dyck says his long-term aspiration is to one day become a certified steamfitter and be responsible for installing and maintaining high-pressure piping systems.

“I’m leaning towards becoming a steamfitter because I want to travel. Being a steamfitter there’s more options to go out there and travel and experience stuff ”.

FPDI continues to open doors for First Nations learners with training that builds strong communities.

The next Plumbing course and a new Sprinkler Fitter course will both begin in April 2026. To learn more about FPDI’s programs and initiatives, please visit www.fpdinc.ca