Twenty-one Assiniboine students win medals at Skills Manitoba competition

Twenty-one Assiniboine Community College students won gold, silver or bronze medals yesterday at the 22nd annual Skills Manitoba competition, held at Red River College’s Notre Dame and Roblin Centre campuses in Winnipeg.

Assiniboine students swept all three medals in 3D Digital Game Art. Left to right, David Bachewich won silver, Kelsey Henningsen won gold and Sean Casselman won bronze. Derek Ford, far right, is their instructor.

Assiniboine students swept all three medals in four of the competitions: 3D Digital Game Art; IT Network Systems Administration; Website Design and Development; and IT Office Software Applications.

Assiniboine students won gold for the first time in two competitions: Carpentry and Electrical Installation.

“It means a lot to me to win first place in the post-secondary carpentry competition. All the instructors at Assiniboine are the best you can find from any college in Manitoba. They really know their stuff and make sure you can use the skills you learn in school to solve problems in the real world. It's quite the honour being the first Assiniboine student to win in carpentry,” said Levi Ferguson, a Carpenter Apprenticeship student.

“Assiniboine is very proud of all the students who competed and the coaches who mentored them! The fantastic results are a clear demonstration of our ‘Learn by Doing’ philosophy,” said Kate Pelletier, Dean of Trades and Access, Community Programs Division.

Thirty-seven students from 13 skilled trades and technology programs competed this year, winning a total of seven gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals.

Featured photo: Levi Ferguson, a Carpenter Apprenticeship student, won a gold medal in Carpentry at the Skills Manitoba competition yesterday.

Skills Manitoba is an annual one-day event that provides more than 500 secondary, post-secondary and apprenticeship students from across Manitoba the opportunity to showcase their talents in 43 different time-limited, hands-on competitions.

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 amongstudents, educators and parents about the advantages of post-secondary training in trades and technology, including good pay, job security and flexibility.

Gold medal winners will have the opportunity to join Team Manitoba in Halifax to compete at the 25^th annual Skills Canada National Competition from May 27 to 30. 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.