Edmonton, Alberta — The 2022 Skills Canada Alberta youth virtual competition is in full swing this week, putting nearly 800 Albertan students to the test in skilled trades from welding, to carving, to baking.
On from Monday until Thursday, this year’s event has students from across the province competing virtually for medals and the chance to compete nationally.
Participants in this year’s Skills events will complete specific tasks live on camera before a panel of judges, often using materials mailed to them beforehand.
Tegan Nikoleychuk of Sturgeon Composite High School in Namao, Alta. was given six hours on Monday to assemble a model ferryboat as part of the welding competition.
Nikoleychuk got their first taste of welding during an open house at their high school where they learned how to weld their initials onto a nameplate. Now they’re looking towards a career in underwater welding.
Nikoleychuk told reporters, “I’ve never seen the ocean in my life,” in the hopes that their ambitions might help them see the world.
The winners of this year’s Skills Alberta youth competition will be announced in an online ceremony on May 6.
Skills Canada Provincial competitions are currently taking place all over the country, with Manitoba’s event starting April 14; British Columbia’s on April 22 and both Ontario’s and Northwest Territory’s on May 2. Regional competitions for Nova Scotia Community College Akerley Campus will take place April 28 and 29.
The Skills Canada National Competition will be held over four days–May 25 through 28–in Vancouver, B.C., though the competition days will be held on May 26 and 27.
Click here for more information on Skills Canada’s national competition.
