From curiosity to career: Opening doors to trades at TELUS Spark

For Chris Woehleke, Supervisor of Computerized Maintenance Management Systems at Imperial, it all started with a lawnmower.

As a kid, he was always surrounded by things to fix, from cars at his family’s Volkswagen dealership to projects his grandpa worked on at home. But it was helping repair a lawnmower that sparked something lasting. “If it had an engine, I was interested in it,” Chris says.

That early curiosity set him on a path into the skilled trades — one that started in automotive mechanics and eventually led to dual trade certification, field mechanic work across Alberta and, ultimately, a leadership role with Imperial.

Chris began his career as a heavy equipment technician, working on semi-trucks and oilfield equipment in northern Alberta and Calgary before joining Imperial at the Kearl oil sands operation as a mechanic. “Without that hands-on experience, those doors don’t open,” Chris says.

Over a 14-year career with Imperial, he progressed from apprentice to supervisor, a journey he says reflects the opportunities trades can create.

“You can go from doing the work to shaping the work,” he says. “Imperial is always looking for that next good idea, and teams work together to figure out how to make things better.”

On May 27, Chris shared that message at TELUS Spark Science Centre as the organization announced new funding for its BLUprint program, which introduces young people to careers in the trades through hands-on learning experiences.

Imperial has supported TELUS Spark since 1999, contributing close to $1 million to STEM initiatives in Calgary and serving as one of the earliest supporters of BLUprint.

“I’m proud to be part of a company that was there at the start of BLUprint,” he says. “The more we can support places like this, the more we can help spark that interest early on.”

For Chris, that early exposure matters.

“If I didn’t have exposure to the dealership growing up, a place like TELUS Spark’s BLUprint would have been really important to me figuring out my path,” he says.

BLUprint gives students a chance to explore, build and problem-solve while introducing them to careers they may not otherwise consider. And those careers, Chris says, are foundational.

“Whether building, fixing or maintaining something, tradespeople help keep everyday life moving. If trades didn’t exist, things would just stop,” he says.

Even now, in a supervisor role, Chris still spends time working on cars at home. “There’s something really fulfilling about being able to figure something out and fix it yourself.”