Logan Peters intends to become a certified world traveler by the end of 2026, and he’s relying on his carpentry skills to accomplish this.

Peters is a third-year carpentry apprentice and member of Team Canada who will be competing at World Skills in Shanghai this October. To get there, he won silver at Skills Canada and gold at Skills Alberta. But his journey into a career in carpentry and a place in the Skills competitions started on stages much smaller than those.

It started in middle school, where Peters was inspired by his shop teacher.

“That teacher got me into carpentry,” Peters recalls. “I developed a love for it and moved onto high school. The instructor there took me to the regional skills competition and the results spoke for themselves. I decided this is something I want to pursue.”

To pursue this career, he became a carpentry apprentice, studying at Lakeland College. He found mentorship in his instructors there, particularly David Jones, who is currently helping him prepare for the challenge of Worlds.

Peters and Jones are spending their weekends together in Lakeland’s carpentry shop as Peters works to master the skills that will be on display in Shanghai.

“We’re spending a lot of time here in the shop working on previous World’s projects,” Peters explains. “We’re studying blueprints, going through strategies. World Skills projects use a lot of timber frame joinery techniques, so I’ve been diving into that side of things and sharpening my skills.”

Peters is excited for the opportunity to represent the country, and his past experiences competing have helped prepare him for it.

“I’m already used to the pressure and stress of competing,” he says. “It’s really cool to be able to represent your school and your province at a national level, I’d recommend it to anybody.”

This is the first time a Lakeland College apprentice has moved on to represent Canada at World Skills. It’s also unexplored territory for Peters, who has never been out of the country.

“This will all be new to me,” says Peters, from St. Paul, Alta. “I’m excited to see other parts of the world and experience some new cultures.”

He’s already put on some miles, heading to Regina, Sask., for Skills Canada 2025. He was also in Ottawa in October for the official announcement of Team Canada. He and Dave King, dean of trades and technology at Lakeland, may be travelling to the Netherlands in the spring for their national Skills competition, and then it will be China in the fall.

As Peters works on his carpentry skills, he is also taking time to acknowledge the support he is receiving from his friends, family, employer and community that are making this possible.

“My employer has been really great throughout this process, allowing me the time off to compete. They’re also really flexible and give me the time to come to Lakeland to train,” he says. He works for Barrett Built Ltd. in St. Paul.

Part of the funds covering Peters’ travel and participation in World Skills is being provided by funds raised at Feast on the Farm, an annual Lakeland fundraiser that supports student-led projects like this one.

“I’m also really thankful for the community support, especially on the financial side of things,” Peters says. “Without that help, I wouldn’t be able to go on this trip and experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m thankful to all of them for helping me out.”

Peters is excited for all the travel ahead, for the chance to test his skills against the rest of the world, and to represent his country and Lakeland on such a big stage. He’s nervous, but also determined to prove himself.

“Competing helps me see that sometimes I’m a lot more capable than I think I am,” he says. “Going to Worlds is going to be one of the hardest things I’ll ever do. It’ll challenge me and help me grow in my skill set. By the end of the year, I’ll be a certified world traveler.”