The Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary Award
Nicole LeClair built a career that has included welding, technical sales, inspection, education and teaching. In this Remove The Fume interview, Nicole shares how she entered the welding trade, why continuing education became central to her career, and why she created a bursary to support the next generation of Ontario welding students.
View current Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary information
Who Is Nicole LeClair?
Nicole LeClair has built a career across multiple areas of the welding industry, including hands-on welding, technical sales, inspection, education and teaching.
Nicole was also a recipient of a CWB welding education award in 2001. Years later, that experience helped inspire her to establish the Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary to support other Ontario students pursuing welding education.
Remove The Fume spoke with Nicole about her career path, her decision to enter the trades, continuing education and the importance of giving back to the welding community.
How Did Nicole LeClair Become a Welder?
Will you share the story of how you became a welder among the many other aspects of your professional career?
It was not a straight path for me initially, as after high school I signed up to attend University in Ottawa, which is where I was born and raised.
I didn’t want to go to University, but it was the common thing to do at the time and it was generally expected of people who graduated high school to pursue their education at that level. So that’s what I did.
The reason I didn’t want to go to University was because I really didn’t know what I wanted to do for a career and I didn’t want to waste my time trying to achieve something that really wouldn’t benefit me in the end.
As it turned out, I wound up dropping out of University about 3 months into the term. I simply could NOT see what that degree would do for me and my desire to attend and do the work severely diminished.
I worked some full-time hours where I’d been only part-time before at a pharmacy and I bought my first car and really tried to consider what it was that I wanted to pursue.
I thought about what I was good at, what was fulfilling to me and what paid a decent wage. My thoughts turned to the trades, as I always liked fixing things and figuring out how things worked and wasn’t afraid to roll up my sleeves and get dirty.
Almost by the process of elimination, I found myself really interested in welding. The thought of fusing 2 pieces of metal together forever and having a hand at something that would outlast my lifetime seemed really powerful to me and something that I wanted to investigate further.
As such, I took a night class in oxy-fuel welding, which was enough to “spark” my interest to pursue it even more.
Nicole LeClair
How Did Welding Education Shape Her Career?
Following the Welder Fitter program, a Cambrian College employee encouraged Nicole to consider Welding Engineering Technology.
That’s exactly what I wound up doing and after that I worked for many years as a technical outside sales person in the GTA looking after clients’ technical needs as they relate to welding machines and gases, consumables and fume extraction, along with other related offerings.
Throughout this part of my career, I enjoyed helping my clients and guiding them in the right direction for their welding needs.
The part that I enjoyed the most, however, was the education aspect of that job. I liked being able to educate them about new technology and automation, keeping them up to date with what’s current in the welding world.
Due to this affinity for this aspect of the job, it was my new found idea that I should be pursuing a job whereby I could focus just on what made me happiest: teaching and continuing education.
Nicole's technical sales work also included welding-fume extraction, an area directly connected with Remove The Fume's work today.
Why Did Nicole Move Into Welding Education?
How did your career path eventually lead you to teaching the welding trade?
I reached out to the Associate Dean of Mohawk College 3+ years ago and had a meeting with him, where I was under the impression that we were having an informal chat, where he could tell me about what a day in the life is like for a welding professor there.
Little did I know that it was basically a job interview and didn’t know it, because a couple of weeks later, I received a letter of intent to hire.
This thrilled me to no end and I happily accepted the offer and have been there ever since. I simply love being able to share my passion of the trade with the future welders of tomorrow.
Why Is Continuing Education Important in Welding?
It wasn’t really until I’d spent many years in outside sales that I was able to get a great overview of all that was possible in the welding industry.
Working in that capacity, I was able to be exposed to a myriad of opportunities and learn about what other avenues I could take.
I wasn’t happy settling as a salesperson to sell a product, I wanted to USE the products and get back to my roots and back to what I loved most about the trade in the first place.
I wanted my overalls back! Getting into instructing was the best feeling because I thought to myself “this is where I’m meant to be”...it just felt right!
At the time of the original interview, Nicole had earned her Level 1 Visual Welding Inspector certification through the Canadian Welding Bureau and was preparing for Level 2. She had also passed her Red Seal test and held all-position FCAW and SMAW tickets.
Nicole LeClair
How Has Nicole Given Back to the Welding Community?
Education is only one part of Nicole's contribution to the welding industry.
Something else I’ve volunteered to do for many years is to be a welding judge for the Skills Ontario Competition .
I have been able to judge, side-by-side, with my old welding professors who taught ME so many years ago. It’s a real feeling of coming full circle!
Why Did Nicole Create a Welding Bursary?
What inspired you to establish the Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary Award?
Due to my aforementioned feeling of coming full circle in the welding industry, I really wanted to do something to give back to the next generation. I feel strongly that if we can help, then we should.
My idea was born in early 2018 and I started to take the steps necessary in making this dream come true. The vision was to help an Ontario student annually who wishes to pursue welding at the post-secondary level.
I donated the value of some of my RBC securities in order to establish the fund to sustain itself.
I, too, was the recipient of a welding bursary back in 2001 issued by the CWB and I have always been thankful for the assistance provided to me at the time in my pursuit of getting an education in welding.
Who Is Eligible for the Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary?
According to the CWB Welding Foundation, the bursary supports students pursuing welding or a welding-related skilled trade at the post-secondary level at a publicly funded post-secondary institution in Ontario.
Applicants must be residents of Ontario, and the bursary funds are paid directly to the post-secondary institution to help offset tuition and fees.
The CWB Welding Foundation currently describes Nicole as a Red Seal welder, welding educator, engineering technologist and inspector.
Number of winners: 4
Award amount: $2,000 each
2026 applications opened: March 2, 2026
2026 applications closed: June 30, 2026
For future application periods, eligibility details and current deadlines, visit the official Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary page .
What Can Future Welders Learn From Nicole's Career?
Nicole's career did not follow one predetermined path. It moved from university, to hands-on welding training, to welding engineering technology, technical sales, inspection and finally education.
Her experience shows that welding can lead to more than one career direction. Welding skills can open opportunities in fabrication, inspection, sales, engineering technology, training, education and other specialized areas of the industry.
The theme that runs through Nicole's story is continued learning. Her career developed as she kept adding skills, certifications and experience rather than treating her first welding qualification as the end of her education.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nicole LeClair?
Nicole LeClair is a Red Seal welder, welding educator, engineering technologist and inspector. She has worked across hands-on welding, technical sales and welding education, and she created the Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary to support future welding students in Ontario.
What is the Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary?
The Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary is an award created to support Ontario students pursuing welding or a welding-related skilled trade at a publicly funded post-secondary institution.
How much is the Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary?
For 2026, the CWB Welding Foundation listed four bursaries worth $2,000 each. Award amounts and the number of recipients can change, so applicants should always check the official CWB Welding Foundation page for the current program year.
Is the Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary currently open?
The 2026 application period opened March 2 and closed June 30, 2026. Applications are currently closed. Students interested in a future application period should follow the CWB Welding Foundation for updated dates.
Who can apply for the bursary?
The CWB Welding Foundation states that applicants must be Ontario residents pursuing welding or a welding-related skilled trade at the post-secondary level at a publicly funded Ontario institution.
How did Nicole LeClair get into welding?
Nicole initially attended university before deciding the path was not right for her. After considering the skilled trades, she took an oxy-fuel welding night class, moved to Sudbury in 1998 and completed a 40-week Welder Fitter program at Cambrian College.
Why did Nicole become a welding instructor?
Nicole said the education component of her technical sales career was the part she enjoyed most. That interest ultimately led her toward teaching, where she could focus on sharing her welding knowledge with future tradespeople.
Related Reading
Interested in the Nicole LeClair Welding Bursary?
Visit the CWB Welding Foundation for current eligibility requirements, application dates and future award information.
View Bursary Details
