Canada’s top young trades people battle it out at skills competition

Watch above: Over 500 of Canada’s best and brightest young trades and technology people are in Saskatoon competing in the 2015 Skills Canada competition. Aaron Streck reports.

SASKATOON – “It’s an opportunity for us to see the best competitors in skill trades in Canada,” said Skills Canada Saskatchewan Executive Director Al Gabert.

From construction and manufacturing to technologies and service, 550 young students and apprentices from 13 provinces and territories are in Saskatoon competing in 46 different trades over two days.

“A great opportunity for young people either high school or in the apprenticeship program and post-secondary programs to showcase their skills and technologies that they’ve been training for in the last couple years,” said Gabert.

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The 2015 Skills Canada National Competition can be quite the pressure cooker. Sean Audet says if you can’t handle the heat get out of the kitchen.

“Obviously everyone’s nervous, everyone’s anxious but a huge part of the competition is really controlling that anxiety, really gaining that confidence and making sure you don’t second guess yourself because that costs time and it costs points,” said Audet, who is competing in post-secondary cooking.

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“It’s definitely stressful because you’re looking at someone else’s work and you’re going ‘they’re doing it differently then I am? Why are they doing it differently? Should I be doing it that way’,” said Emily Fell, a competitor in car painting.

Her father’s love of cars rubbed off on Fell, so the Grade 12 Oakville, Ont. student first started taking auto body in Grade 10.

“My teacher pulled me into the paint booth and said ‘try to paint this fender’ and I kind of had a knack for it,” said Fell.

Being a woman in an industry predominantly run by men hasn’t been an issue.

“I’m kind of one of the guys so to speak … they don’t really see me any differently which is a good thing,” said Fell.

Watch below: Secondary and post-secondary trades students from across the country will be in Saskatoon for the Skills Canada national competition, giving them a chance to showcase their skills.

In a province that can always use more trades workers, Saskatchewan Polytechnic is looking to get more women interested.

“It’s relatively an untapped resource, 50 per cent of the population that we’re trying to access to help fill those positions,” said Saskatchewan Polytechnic’s Jessica Baldwin.

While the top three in each of the 46 different trades receive medals, it’s a win-win for all competing, as just being a part of this gives them an advantage going forward in their careers.

Saskatoon last hosted the Skills Canada National Competition in 2007.