NEWS

Skills Canada
By: Melissa D., Grade 12, Garden Valley Collegiate, Winkler, MB

Students from all over Manitoba will meet in Edmonton, Alberta on April 12 to compete in Skills Canada. Approximately twenty of these students will be from Garden Valley Cllegiate in Winkler, MB and, if past experience is an indicator, about 5 to 10 medals will be won by the G.V.C. students. The students who to go to Skills Canada are volunteers. However, many times it is the teachers who ask the students to compete.

There are twenty-five competitions in total and G.V.C. will be competing in fifteen, including Auto Service, Job Interview, and Internet Web Page Design. Architectural Cad and Women’s Apparel Design are also possibilities. Students do not have to have taken the specific courses in order to compete.

Margaret Dudgeon, a G.V.C. teacher says, “(The students) may not have the same skills as others, but they have heart and determination.” Mr. Rick Schroeder, another G.V.C. teacher states: “Remember, many students have skills which we are not aware.”. The gold and silver medalists will go on to the National level on May 31 to June 3.

However, not all of Skills Canada is about competing. The students also obtain confidence and learn how to work under pressure in an industry. Students who are medal winners are often offered jobs from people who have been watching the competitions. Whether or not a medal is won, Skills Canada is an excellent way for Canadian students to participate in job-like experiences and to develop the confidence to succeed in these situations.