Think you’ve got skills? Wait until you see what Victoria students have to offer.
Camosun is hosting the annual South Vancouver Island Regional Skills Competition on March 28at the Interurban Campus, so get ready to see some amazing skills being showcased by Vancouver Island’s middle school and high school students.
The competition involves about 180 students who visit Camosun for the day to compete and showcase their abilities in trades and technology.
Students in Grades 6 to 10 compete in the Junior Skills Contest, which is set up like a science fair. These young hopefuls compete in groups to create projects in three contest areas: a gravity car, a spaghetti bridge, and even a sumo robot.
“We’re really trying to focus this year on our juniors, so we’ll probably have more middle school students this year than we’ve ever had before,” says Kelly Betts, the skills competition coordinator. “In those three contest areas, we’ve seen a significant growth in participation, so we’re really excited about that.”
Students from grades 10Đ12 will compete in categories such as cabinetmaking, automotive service, electronic and electrical, professional cooking, carpentry, and welding. There are also three categories hosted by the Pacific Design Academy: architectural CAD, graphic design, and hairstyling.
During the competition, about 1,000 Grade 8 students will be visiting Camosun to take tours of the trades centre. They will be able to participate in a variety of hands-on activities, mingle with professors, and play games with students from other schools.
“The young people that are coming in to compete have already developed the skills at a higher level,” says Betts. “Our goal is to show off these young people to middle school students and say hey look, this could be you some day. Here’s a wonderful way to celebrate the young people that have developed these skills, and to say, ‘Yeah, this is a really valuable career path.’”
Once the winners have been declared in the regional competition, they move on to provincials, which are held in Abbotsford, BC on April 9. The winners from provincials have the potential to go to nationals in June, and then an international competition takes place in 2015.
“There’s some stiff competition out there at the national level,” says Betts. “We’ve had students from the south island go to the nationals in the automotive and 3D animation categories. There is a big potential for these Vancouver Island students to move on to higher levels of competition and show off their skills.”
The skills competition is part of a community partnership between Camosun College, the five local school districts, the Pacific Design Academy, and Skills Canada. The idea behind this partnership is to create an easy transition between high school and post-secondary education.
“This gives them the exposure to the various trades programs and gives them a chance to see the enthusiasm of the current students,” says Betts. “They get up here on the campus, they get to walk around and see things and meet people, and gain a higher comfort level with the facilities that wouldn’t necessarily be available to them at their high school.”
A greater awareness of the opportunities available in the trades will be essential, says Betts, not just at Camosun, but at universities and colleges across the country.
“It’s important to have students think about their future as well as careers that they might want to pursue. If they really like working with their hands, or even just building things, to let them know there is a place for them,” she says. “There are worthwhile options and opportunities for them to pursue.”
South Vancouver Island Regional Skills Competition
Friday, March 28
Camosun Interurban campus
skillscanada.bc.ca