By Cindy Macdonald
Toronto, Ontario — October 22, 2018 — Low enrollment is threatening the auto collision repair and car painting events at the 2019 Nova Scotia Skills Competition. Organizers say these two events have experienced low enrollment in the past and are at risk of cancellation.
The local automotive industry is requested to pre-register for collision repair and car painting before Nov. 9 to ensure these competitions are hosted in 2019. The provincial skills competitions will be held in April.
Having provincial-level competitions for the automotive sector is particularly important for next year, as the 2019 National Skills Competition will be hosted in Halifax, May 28-29.
The Nova Scotia Skills Competition brings together students and apprentices from across the province to compete in their chosen skilled trade, with the opportunity to advance to the Skills Canada National Competition as members of Team Nova Scotia.
In a blog post, Skills Canada Nova Scotia says skills competitions “provide the automotive industry with an opportunity to promote careers in automotive to young people, while providing a valuable and career-enhancing opportunity for competitors.”
For employers, the benefits of getting involved include: the opportunity to attract new talent to the industry and your business, bragging rights for having top apprentices working in your business, and building loyalty by supporting your technicians.
For apprentices and students, the competition gives the opportunity to develop and showcase skills, earn provincial recognition, have fun, and meet peers from across Nova Scotia.
Visit http://www.skillsns.ca/registration/ to pre-register. Registration for apprentices is paid by the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency. Hours spent competing are recognized as training hours and have no impact on EI or attendance records.