Ben Rainforth - 21

Biography

I grew up on a farm, so the trades always seemed like a good option for me. My dad was a welder, so he’d fix everything on the farm, and I’d be there to watch. Once I took shop classes in high school, I knew welding was the trade for me. There are many elements I enjoy about welding including always learning and improving my skills. I am looking forward to competing at the 2024 WorldSkills Competition, in Lyon and seeing what opportunities present themselves after that.

I attended the 2009 WorldSkills Competition, in Calgary, thanks to my grandpa who had a big educational presence in the trades. I’ve been competing at skills competitions since 2018. When I learned I’ll be competing at WorldSkills Lyon 2024, it felt pretty incredible and a little surreal! It has been a long road to get here, and it’s such a proud and humbling moment for me and everyone that has been involved to get me to this incredible achievement. Nerves and adrenaline will be my two main concerns at the WorldSkills Competition. It’s hard to weld when your hands are shaking. I’m looking forward to representing Canada on the world stage.

Interesting fact
In my spare time, I enjoy being in the mountains, either backpacking or camping.

Skills for Success
If I had to choose a skill that’s been instrumental to my training, it would be problem solving. It all comes down to long hours of training and finding solutions to problems.