When it comes to welding, Ian Ketcheson has been called a “prodigy”. His skills with a torch have been deemed “next level”.
Ketcheson, a three-time gold medalist in welding at the annual Skills Ontario competition, and a gold and a silver winner at Skills Canada, attended high school in southern Ontario at Bayside Secondary in Quinte West.
Currently enrolled with the Heavy Equipment Technician program at Cambrian College, Ketcheson said it was during his early years he discovered a talent for working with heavy machines. He credits Micheal Burns, a teacher at Bayside Secondary for his success in the Skills competitions.
“I was immediately attracted to welding when I first entered high school in Grade 9,” Ketcheson said. “Bayside has an excellent manufacturing program. It offers many opportunities — forklift, working-at-heights training, first-aid and certifications. I had every tool available to me, which in turn allowed me to become extremely skilled with welding.
“I was practicing every day with the never-ending help of my teacher, Micheal Burns. I owe everything to him because he’s the one who always gave me inspiration. He gave me a chance to compete in the competitions after seeing what I could do when I first entered his class. This chance then snowballed into me winning the competitions and being able to compete in nationals.”
Ketcheson spent his childhood in rural surroundings with an accommodating family.
“My parents have been extremely helpful throughout my life. If I ever needed anything to be successful, they helped me obtain it,” he said. “My dad taught me everything I needed to know about farming by just letting me figure it out on my own. This sparked an interest in working with equipment.”
Learning to do more “in-depth” repairs around the farm and looking after maintenance led to him going into the heavy-duty equipment mechanic stream, Ketcheson said.
“I had all of the practical skills, but I also had a desire to learn more about the technical side of equipment,” he said. “I took a co-op (co-operative education) in high school at an agricultural equipment dealer and then decided I wanted to attend college.”
Following his success in high school, Ketcheson looked to further his education. He started by exploring colleges down south.
“Fleming (in Peterborough) was my first choice due to how close it was to home, but unfortunately they’d shut down the program I was interested in. I quickly chose Cambrian,” he said. “Cambrian has ultimately been a better choice due to their excellent program, faculty and the opportunities I have at Cambrian R&D. The mining industry is strong up here and I am grateful to see the vast differences compared to home.”
Asked about the Cambrian R&D program, Ketcheson said, “In 2024, during the provincial competition, I met Robbie Duncan. He offered me a position at Cambrian R&D as a welder. I told him I was going to go to Fleming, but he said if I ever came to Cambrian, the offer was still there. I now work with multiple companies that need a product which no one else really makes. Working at Cambrian R&D has allowed me to improve my welding skills. I am grateful to be employed there, and I enjoy working with people who have similar interests to mine.”
Ketcheson considers his victories in the Skills Ontario and Skills Canada competitions to be his greatest success to date, but is also quick to add his feelings about post-secondary education and the scholarship that led to it.
“I’m extremely grateful to be given the chance to attend college. This was made possible because I was awarded the Schulich Builders Scholarship. All of my hard work paid off when I applied for this award.”
The Schulich Builders Scholarships are for students enrolling in an eligible, full-time skilled trades program at participating colleges in Ontario. Twelve colleges award a total of 120 scholarships annually.
Considering his successes, Ketcheson looks into the future.
“Once I graduate from Cambrian, I plan to start my career as a heavy equipment technician. Given my welding and mechanical skills, I believe I will be able to find a great company that needs my employment.”
Ian Ketcheson’s words of inspiration
“The only advice I can give to students trying to figure out what they want to do is to follow the demand and not the crowd. Start a career in a field that you enjoy working in, or somewhere where there is demand. Don’t listen to anyone else but yourself when deciding which career to pursue.”
James Stewart is a writer in North Bay. Inspire is made possible by our Community Leaders Program.