March 11, 2013 - 4:00am
High school students from around the region descended on VIU’s Nanaimo Campus on Friday, March 8, to try out their trades skills in regional [Skills Canada](http://www.skillscanada.bc.ca/) competitions.
Every year Skills Canada runs events across the province with the goal of building awareness of trades careers and giving students the opportunity to show just how much they’ve learned in a variety of areas, including 3D Computer Animation, Carpentry, Baking and Welding.
Participating students are each given a project to work on relevant to their field and then marked on different elements including safe work practices, technique and final results.
For example, students in the 3D Computer Animation competition were given a piece of music and tasked to design an animation around it; Hairdressing students had to do a cut, colour and style as well as an ‘up-do’ and Welding students were judged on how precise their welds were and their workplace safety standards. Winners of the regional competition will go on to provincials on April 17 in Abbotsford.
Glynis Steen, VIU’s Associate Dean of Trades & Technology, felt the event was a great opportunity for youth in the region to get positive hands-on experience and demonstrate that a career in skilled trades is a great option.
“According to the [Conference Board of Canada](http://www.skillscanada.bc.ca/newcareerfacts.aspx), by 2020 there will be one million job openings in BC and more than 40 percent of those will be in skilled trades and technologies,” says Steen. “Events like this help engage our youth and get them excited in a career that will not only help offset current and pending labour shortages, but it will also provide them with a meaningful career.”
The students who came to the event felt it was well worth it. Mike Andrews, a Grade 12 student at Nanaimo District Senior Secondary (NDSS), is determined to follow a career in Computer Animation, so when his teacher told him about the Skills Canada event, he jumped at the opportunity. “I’m always looking to gain more experience so I felt this was a great way to do just that. We spent about seven hours putting our piece together but it was really fun. It also made me even more certain that I’ve chosen the right field to go into.”
Courtney Treloar and Heather Greenan, students at Brooks Senior Secondary School in Powell River, both competed in the Hairdressing competition. “It was a really fun day and a great opportunity to see what other people are doing in the field,” said Treloar.” Greenan agreed adding that she felt the judges were really helpful and gave them great feedback.
For Brady Donley, also a Grade 12 student at NDSS, the best part of the experience was getting critiqued by new people. “I really appreciated the feedback from the instructors. It was also interesting to see where my skills stand in relation to other students.”
VIU has a long history of trades training and is continually working to expand its array of Skilled Trades & Technology programs. For example, a 32-week [Power Engineering](http://www.viu.ca/powerengineering/) program was recently added to VIU’s course offerings.
“We’re also focused on purchasing state-of-the-art training equipment so our students can get the best learning experience possible,” says Steen. For more information on VIU’s Trades & Technology programs contact Marg Taylor at marg.taylor@viu.ca or 250.740.6134.
Tags: In the Community
