Four Assiniboine students win medals at Skills Manitoba competition

Four Assiniboine Community College students won gold, silver or bronze medals at the 23rd Annual Skills Manitoba Competition – Virtual Edition, held between April 5 – 16, 2021.

In response to the ongoing global pandemic the Skills Canada National Competition 2021, Skills/Compétences Canada’s annual flagship event was cancelled as a face-to-face event and hosted virtually, allowing competitors from across Canada to participate to become the best of Canada.

"Assiniboine is very proud of all the students who competed and the coaches who mentored them. After the 2020 event was cancelled it has been great to transition to this new virtual format for 2021, allowing students to compete and continue to hone their craft against some of the best in Canada,” said Kevin Poirier Team Assiniboine Lead and Associate Dean of Trades at Assiniboine.

In total six Assiniboine students competed in the 3D Digital Game Art and Automobile Technology contests taking home Gold and Silver in 3D Digital Games Art, and Silver and Bronze in Automobile Technology.

Throughout the province over 140 students competed in 26 different contests at this year’s Skills Manitoba annual virtual event and the gold medal winners will form Team Manitoba to compete against their peers at the Skills Canada Virtual National Competition to be held at the end of May, 2021.

The philosophy behind the competition is to reward students, involve industry and to keep training relevant to employers’ needs. Competitions are designed and judged by industry professionals and educators.

The Skills Competitions also raise awareness about Canada's shortage of skilled trades workers. Major industry associations expect a moderate to severe shortage of workers within the next five years. They also help raise awareness among students, educators and parents about the advantages of post-secondary training in trades and technology, including good pay, job security and flexibility. This multi-trade and technology competition brings together more than 500 students and apprentices from across the country to participate in more than 40 competitions.