It’s not often that you find professors teaching in classrooms, labs, and shops once they have reached their seventies, but Larry McLaughlin Sr. is a different kind of instructor with a passion for his trade. The great-grandfather has been preparing corporate training students for their Industrial Mechanic (millwright) Red Seal exams since 2000, helping them to earn their “passport to work,” or Red Seal journeyperson certificate.

McLaughlin Sr. comes from a family of miners, and although he started down the same path, he became a trainer decades ago at the former International Nickel Company (Inco) millwright training division. Even after retiring from Inco, he never stopped learning and teaching, taking on training roles through Cambrian College’s Corporate Training division. “The technology’s changed drastically in the trade,” remarked McLaughlin Sr., “but you still need to understand the theory and be able to do the math.”

A proud tradesman, McLaughlin Sr. is happy to see his son and grandsons follow in his footsteps, building strong careers and investing in their own futures. His son, Larry Jr., started his mining career in Elliot Lake as a heavy duty equipment technician, and now works in mine maintenance in Sudbury. Larry Sr.’s grandson, Brent, graduated from the Millwright program at Cambrian and is also working in Sudbury. His other grandson (Brent’s brother), Brad, is studying at Cambrian to become a millwright, and earned a spot on the President’s Honour Roll, so there is little doubt that he soon he will become the latest of the McLaughlin millwrights.