Malaspina welding student wins gold

With a regional gold medal under his belt and the provincial Skills Canada competition just around the corner on April 16, Malaspina welding student Grant Ayers has a lot to feel good about.

“It felt great to win the regional Skills Canada competition,” said Ayers, a grade 12 student at NDSS who is enrolled in the Career Technical Centre (CTC) Welding program at Malaspina, an entry level program for grade 11 and 12 students intended to help fast-track them into careers in trades, while ensuring they still graduate from high school.

On Feb. 29, Ayers competed against other secondary students from across Vancouver Island and won a gold medal in the welding event of the Skills Canada competition. In the competition, Ayers was given a blueprint and told to build it in five hours.

“It wasn’t too hard,” said Ayers. “I just followed the plans and got it done.”

During the competition, Ayers noticed an error on the blueprint and pointed it out to the Skills Canada judges. While they seemed not to realize the mistake, Malaspina welding instructor Jim Dean thinks it was a test, one that Ayers passed with flying colours.

“The Skills Canada competition is a great idea,” said Dean. “You don’t know what you’re building until you see the blueprint, which is realistic to the industry. I’m sure the error Grant found was just a test of his ability to read blueprints and he showed just how skilled he is.”

Ayers, who also finished second in last year’s regional competition, now moves on to the provincial Skills Canada competition in Abbotsford on April 16, where he will compete against grade 12 students from all over BC. Winners from the provincials move on to the nationals in Calgary later in 2008.

Skills Canada BC competitions help raise the profile of trades and technology occupations for BC youth. The philosophy of these events is to reward students for excellence, provide a forum for industry and education, to work together in evaluating student performance and keep training relevant to employers needs. The event is also the largest showcase of trade and technology occupations in the province, providing visitors with a chance to access current labour market information, talk to career education professionals and view first hand the competitions on site.

As for Ayers, the Skills Canada competition is just another highlight in his growing welding career. He has now completed the Level ‘C’ Welding program and is enrolled in Malaspina’s Aluminum Boat Building program, where he hopes to get some fabrication experience. After that, he plans on working locally as a welder.

“Grant is a good student,” said Dean. “He’s got a bright future ahead of him in the industry. And to be as young as he is and so far along is a huge boost.”