On Thursday, April 13, more than 475 students from across the province gathered at Red River College (both campuses) to compete in the 20th Annual Skills Manitoba Competition. 

  SJASD students from Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate, St. James Collegiate and Westwood Collegiate attended the event. While some students went to gain experience and learn more about a particular field, others competed in trade and technology contests spanning six industry sectors.

During the event, participants demonstrated their talent, creativity, passion and ability to work well under pressure. While there were a total of 42 skilled trades and technology contests at Skills Manitoba, our students competed in the following categories: Baking, 2D Character Computer Animation, Cooking, Electrical Installation, Graphic Design, Hairstyling, Job Skill Demonstration, Photography, Public Speaking, Video Production, Website Development and Workplace Safety.

 The philosophy of the Skills Competition, according to the Skills Manitoba website, is to “reward students for excellence, directly involve industry in evaluating student performance, and keep training programs relevant to employers’ needs.”

 A total of eight students from our Division were called up to the podium to receive medals on April 13, all of whom attend Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate. Our three gold medal finalists, Jose Inoc (Electrical Installation), Emily Villaneava (Job Skill Demonstration) and Emma Lewis (Public Speaking) will be moving on to represent Team Manitoba at the Skills Canada National Competition, May 31 to June 3 at the RBC Convention Centre. 

Congratulations to all of the participants this year and we look forward to seeing where your skills lead you in the future!