Boards to beauty: Free Skills Shop helps people in Thompson upskill in trades

CBC

06-05-2025

In a small, former warehouse in Thompson, Payton Chuckrey and others learn how to make cutting boards out of a plain plank of rough wood — for free.
"My aunt asked if I wanted to come and build some stuff with her. I went, 'Heck yes I do,'" Chuckrey told CBC News.
Skills Shop North offers Thompson residents the chance to upskill in a variety of trades, including woodworking and welding, and hosts a variety of free workshops while also giving people the opportunity to come in on their own time and work on their own projects for free.
The new educational facility, a not-for-profit funded through federal and provincial government grants, opened in late 2024 after the closure of Thompson FabLab, a similar organization that provided workshops in the same space but made the space available with a paid membership.
Skills Shop North is free, which is a key difference, said Jordan Ilott, a manager and volunteer instructor at Skills Shop North, who also creates his own projects and used to volunteer for Thompson FabLab.
Chuckrey said the workshop she did was also an opportunity to bond with her aunt, Patricia Preston, who had never worked on wood before.
Participants started with rough planks of wood, cut them down and processed them into wood cutting boards with customized designs over the span of a weekend.
"I love skulls. I have skulls everywhere, and so I decided to go with a skull to represent my husband and a skull to represent myself. And so now we have the Chuckrey's Kitchen cutting board," Chuckrey said.
Fellow participant Heather Hildebrandt's design came from her furry friend.
"I am sort of a crazy dog person and I have an Irish wolfhound at home, and he's my baby. So I put his name on, I put him on there, so I'll have something of him," she said.
Hildebrandt had some woodworking experience going into the program, but she was waiting for the opportunity to practice and refine her skills.
"My father was into woodworking since I was a little kid, and he kind of dragged me into it, because I was a tomboy," she said.
"So I've been interested in this stuff forever, and we haven't had any opportunity to do any of this in Thompson. And when I heard about this, I just jumped at the chance."
Ilott said once participants are certified on the machinery after a workshop, they are allowed to work on their own projects at Skills Shop whenever it's open, and the possibilities are endless.
"In this facility, we have the enormous potential to make just about anything you can imagine, because we have a fully fledged woodworking and furniture cabinetry workshop," he said.
For Ilott, the place is also an opportunity to socialize and meet people from Thompson.
Classes are currently not regularly scheduled, but Ilott hopes they'll be able to get funding and grants for more, which would let more people use the space for their own creative endeavours, including opportunities to start businesses.