| Comments or questions about this e-newsletter? Contact Michele Rogerson [email protected] |
|
|
Message from the CEO
I want to begin by thanking the hundreds of volunteers who put in thousands of hours to make the 2016 Skills Canada National Competition in Moncton, New Brunswick, a huge success. Just over 500 competitors and more than 5,000 students from across the Atlantic region visited the event where they were able to connect with hundreds of representatives from business, labour, education and government.
The Skills Canada National Competition was the culmination of the competition cycle for many competitors while for some it is the beginning of another chapter. Top ranking students in many categories were identified as 2017 WorldSkills Team Canada Prospects . These prospects will be participating in the WorldSkills Canadian Trials in the coming months. Those who are successful will go on to compete at the next WorldSkills Competition, which will take place in Abu Dhabi, UAE in October 2017 and we are all looking forward to working with another group of great young people from across the country.
Beginning with the WorldSkills Team Canada preparations orientation meeting in the September of 2016 the Skills/Compétences Canada National Secretariat will be involved in a number of activities such as the WorldSkills General Assembly and National Skilled Trades and Technology Week.
The WorldSkills General Assembly will be held in Niagara Falls, Ontario, from October 2-6, 2016. This event is being co-hosted with our friends to the south SkillsUSA. One element of the General Assembly that is open for organizations to attend is a one-day conference programme (WorldSkills Leaders Forum). The WorldSkills Leaders Forum will be held on Tuesday, October 4th and will include presentations and discussions on "Future Skills". The deadline for registration is August 30th, 2016. Event information and registration for the
WorldSkills Leaders Forum
can be found at
www.worldskills2016.com
. I hope you will all be able to join us for this exciting day.
Lastly, SCC will be hosting National Skilled Trade and Technology Week, which will take place from October 31 to November 6, 2016 across Canada. During this week, Skills/Compétences Canada (SCC) and its Provincial/Territorial Member Organizations will be hosting events to raise awareness of skilled trade and technology careers to parents, youth and educators. For more information about this week of activities,
click here
.
Thank you to everyone who helped make SCNC 2016 a success. We look forward to seeing you all at SCNC 2017 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, from May 31 to June 3, 2017!
Shaun Thorson
Chief Executive Officer
|
|
Skills/Compétences Canada In the News
Here are some recent news clips featuring the 2016 Skills Canada National Competition that took place in Moncton, New Brunswick:
-
CTV Morning Show featuring a cooking demo by an SCNC 2016 competitor, filmed on May 30, 2016.
-
CTV Morning Show
, which aired on June 1st, where an aesthetics competitor shows off her skills by giving a manicure to the host of the show.
-
CTV Morning Show, which played on June 3rd, where a carpentry competitor talks about his journey into carpentry and does a woodworking demo with the hosts.
-
Radio-Canada, on June 6th, aired directly from the competition floor and featuring an interview with Luc Morin, Executive Director, Skills Canada New Brunswick.
-Check out these 2 CTV News clips filmed on June 6th. This
first segment
features an interview with Shaun Thorson, Chief Executive Officer for Skills Canada, who talks about the importance of the Skills Canada National Competition and its impact on competitors and visitors alike. This
second segment
features the host trying his hand at several Try-A-Trade
®
and Technology activities including car painting, baking and soldering.
-
Global News segment, on June 6th, titled Skills Canada National Competition aims to get students interested in the trades.
Click here
to read the article.
-Check out this article published in CBC North on June 11th:
'Go Mathilda Go!' Iqaluit student nabs gold medal at national skills contest
.
-Read this press release issued by Skills/Compétences Canada with the results of SCNC 2016:
Top Talent Awarded at Skills Canada National Competition
.
|
|
Highlights of SCNC 2016
SCNC 2016 Awards
Several awards were presented at the closing ceremony including the Contest Safety Award, the SCC Achievement Award and the SCNC Team Spirit Award.
The Contest Safety Award is presented to the contest area that is evaluated by our National Safety Committee as being the best at administrating all aspects of safety including prevention and emergency preparedness.
Winner: Sprinkler Systems
The SCC Achievement Award is given to the National Technical Committee or other volunteers who go above and beyond to ensure that the 2016 Skills Canada National Competition is a success.
Winners:
Megan Gustafson - Hairstyling
Todd Lintaman - Aerospace Technology
Nick Maltais - Cabinetmaking
The SCNC Team Spirit Award is awarded to the provincial/territorial team that not only demonstrates the highest level of enthusiasm, devotion and pride throughout the Competition but also to the team that is most active on Skills/Compétences Canada's social media channels.
Winner: TEAM ALBERTA!
At this year's Skills Canada National Competition, there were over 500 competitors who participated in over 40 skilled trade and technology competitions. There was also a great turnout from participating schools with a total of approximately 5,000 students from across the Atlantic region that attended this two-day event and had the opportunity to participate in over 40 Try-A-Trade® and Technology activities. The opening and closing ceremonies were held at the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Center and included an Acadian performance to truly capture the New Brunswick spirit. There was also a special aboriginal performance by the group 'City Natives' in conjunction with the JEDI Group (Joint Economic Development Initiative). During the closing ceremony, over 200 medals were awarded to the best performing competitors in more than 40 skill areas that represent six skilled trade and technology sectors that include transportation, construction, manufacturing, information and technology, service and employment.
There were several guest speakers at the ceremonies including industry and educational partners, Skills Canada representatives and alumni and the Honourable Roger Melanson, Minister of Finance and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure for the Province of New Brunswick. They congratulated all of the competitors for their hard work and dedication that got them to the national event and wished good luck to those who were selected to be a WorldSkills Team Canada Prospect as they embark on their journey to the 44th WorldSkills Competition.
There were also several celebrities onsite, which participated in the various activities including Mike Holmes Jr., Sherry Holmes, Stars of HGTV's Holmes on Homes® and Holmes Makes it Right, Paul Lafrance, host of HGTV Canada's Disaster Decks, Decked out and Custom Built, Kate Campbell, a host of HGTV's Custom Built and owner of KateBuilds Inc. and Line Pelletier, celebrity chef and runner-up on MasterChef Canada. They were onsite to participate in numerous activities during the event.
In addition, there were several activities highlighting the Essential Skills, with a focus on oral communication, over the duration of the competition, including:
-Essential Skills Stage, which showcased a number of interactive demonstrations highlighting the Essential Skills in the trade and technology occupations.
-ES Passport, where visitors completed Try-A-Trade
®
and Technology activities exposing them to various components of the trades and identified which essential skills where used in each activity for a chance to win a prize.
-ES Educator's Forum which brought together over 150 educators, career practitioners, administrators and parents to share their views on the importance of educating youth about the Essential Skills and their prominence in the skilled trade and technology sectors.
-Mobile App Booth, the ES Mobile App was available and allowed visiting students to see which trade and technology occupations would best suit their current ES skill level.
-ES Live Webcast, where a series of guests discussed the importance of Essential Skills in their respective industries. Guests included competitors, alumni, a celebrity panel, industry leaders as well as educators and employers.
SCC would like to thank all of our partners, including our presenting sponsors UA and TransCanada, our premier sponsor J.D. Irving, Limited, our official sponsors, our supporting sponsors and all of our suppliers for their contributions in helping ensure this event is a great success! A special thank you to our volunteers for their dedication and hard work, we couldn't do this without you! Also, thank you to Skills Canada New Brunswick, as they were a great partner in preparation for and during this event!
|
|
2016 Essential Skills National Youth Forum
During the 2016 Skills Canada National Competition, the Essential Skills National Youth Forum (ESNYF) participants, which included eleven Skills/Compétences Canada (SCC) alumni from across Canada, came together to share experiences and ideas. During this forum, the ESNYF focused their attention on developing an SCC alumni program for past and future national and international competitors.
The ESNYF participants suggested many ideas to improve alumni engagement which will be considered and potentially implemented across the SCC network.
In addition to the alumni program development, the ESNYF also considered the importance of the nine Essential skills and how they were incorporated into SCNC. With their experience in hand, the ESNYF will generate a report on their findings and will present this to the SCC Board for consideration in October of 2017.
|
World Youth Skills Day (WYSD), which took place on July 15, 2016, was created to raise awareness of the importance of acquiring skills as a means to address the challenges of unemployment and under employment, and as a way to achieve better socio-economic conditions for all youth. For more information,
click here
.
WorldSkills has started a campaign called #SkillsRuleTheWorld, asking supporters to show how they develop and use their skills. More information can be found
here.
|
|
Seventh Annual Essential Skills Day
The seventh annual Essential Skills Day will take place on Friday, September 30, 2016 to raise awareness about the importance of workplace literacy and essential skills training. The Government of Canada has identified nine Essential Skills needed for workplace success. These skills are used in every job to varying degrees and at different levels of complexity. They provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to evolve with their jobs and adapt to workplace change.
|
|
WorldSkills General Assembly Niagara Falls 2016
SkillsUSA and Skills/Compétences Canada will be hosting the 2016 WorldSkills General Assembly on October 2-6, 2016, in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Several meetings and special events will be held over the course of the event. Presentations will be made regarding the progress of preparations for the 2017 WorldSkills Competition and the WorldSkills 2025 vision will be discussed.
Join us for the
WorldSkills Leaders Forum on
Tuesday, October 4th and hear global perspectives from industry, government, education and youth on the future of education and training.
Click here
for more information and to register.
For more information about this event, visit:
|
|
National Skilled Trade and Technology Week (NSTTW)
October 31 - November 6, 2016
Mark your calendar! Skills/Compétences Canada (SCC) and its Member Organizations will be hosting events to raise awareness of skilled trade and technology careers to parents, youth and educators.
This is an opportunity for all types of organizations across Canada, from businesses to educational institutions, to get involved in promoting skilled trade and technology opportunities to youth in a "hands-on" way.
A list of activities happening in each province and territory will be available as the date approaches at
www.skillscanada.com
. To obtain more information about these activities, please contact your provincial/territorial office.
If you are interested in partnering with us for NSTTW 2016, please contact Gail Vent at [email protected].
|
|
2017 Skills Canada National Competition
For more information, click here.
|
WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017
The Largest Skills Competition, Jobs and Careers Event in The World!
Every two years, hundreds of young skilled people, accompanied by their teachers and trainers, come from around the world to compete before the public in the skills of their various trades and test themselves against demanding international standards. They represent the best of their peers drawn from regional and national skills competitions held in 75 countries or regions.
The next WorldSkills Competition will be held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from October 14-19, 2017, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. This is the first country in the Middle East to host a WorldSkills Competition.
More than 1,200 Competitors, 1,000 Experts, 3,000 volunteers and over 200,000 visitors will be participating in this exciting event. At WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017, the world's most skilled young people will be competing in over 50 disciplines.
|
In
dustry News and Stories
|
|
Apprentice Mobility
There are now interprovincial and national agreements in place in Canada to allow apprentices to travel to any jurisdiction in Canada to work and have their skills recognized and their work experience credited to them. You can find them on all the government apprenticeship sites like this one
http://www.aes.gov.nl.ca/app/
. These are agreements that you should study so you know your rights as an apprentice when travelling to other areas of the country. This is really great news and will benefit young people trying to get ahead in the world where previous to these agreements there were often barriers for their travel from one province to the next. We are all about removing barriers to anyone trying to make a living. We like to see everyone succeed in our workplaces. Keeping apprentice standards high for industry is the real challenge with these agreements and is the reason they take years to craft and to implement when all the provinces and territories are involved.
As an organization, UA Canada is all about standards and requiring apprentices to train for their future not just in the standard training required by government but also adding more training in specialty applications to make them truly ready to work in any area they need. We ensure that they have the skills necessary for the jobsite. We work with industry clients, owners, and contractors to provide specialty training for their future workers in topics from nuclear foreign material exclusion, to rigging certifications, to foreman/supervisor training, to pipeline welding, to specialties in HVAC and sprinkler, and the list goes on and on. It is a partnership we have with our contractors where we discuss their work requirements and our skill levels and ask them to let us know what they need so we can develop the right training programs.
To help everyone the Government of Canada has to set a path for the future with apprenticeship agreements that are meaningful, like the ones they have just implemented. This will provide a better future for anyone that is trying to pursue a career as a steamfitter/pipefitter or welder or whichever field they decide to be in, and give them more tools to succeed. Its important to everyone.
Contributed by: UA
|
Click here to see a larger version.
Contributed by: J.D. Irving, Limited
|
|
PCL's Steve Schmalz Recounts his Career Journey into Construction
As a second-generation PCL employee, Steve Schmalz had a career in construction in his blood. After his first taste of general contracting during an initial student term with a PCL subcontractor, Steve was hooked. "On my first project, we had a thin crew, so I had the opportunity to experience a little bit of everything on-site," he said. While pursuing his degree at the University of Manitoba, Steve accepted a position with PCL in Winnipeg. "During my first eight months with PCL I bounced around between different roles before becoming a full-time field engineer," he said. "I worked on industrial, civil, and buildings projects in the prairies and met lots of people very quickly."
Steve's career took him from the prairies to Ottawa, and eventually to Orlando. Along the way he gained a new appreciation of programs for students interested in the construction industry. "I've come full circle," said Steve. "I started as a student, and now I'm hiring students. The student pipeline helps shape PCL's future, so we need to find young talent early and train them properly." His advice for students? "Don't worry about 'looking smart.' Don't be afraid to ask questions if you don't understand something. Have fun, get to know the team and the trade contractors-socialize and learn!"
Contributed by: PCL
|
Click here to see a larger version.
Contributed by: Kodiak
|
|
Investing in an advanced manufacturing workforce
Workforce development is an important aspect for many manufacturers, including Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE). To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the articulated hauler, which Volvo CE invented in 1966, a custom-gilded golden hauler is traveling around North America to raise awareness about the skills gap. The golden hauler will end its journey at CONEXPO 2017, a major construction tradeshow held in March 2017, where it will be auctioned off with proceeds supporting training programs that encourage new generations of skilled workers to enter the construction industry.
"As a manufacturer, Volvo CE is addressing the skills gap by partnering with SkillsUSA and Skills/Compétences Canada to encourage young people to work in the construction industry," said Sean Glennon, president, Volvo CE Americas Operations. "It's important to help increase awareness that the construction industry offers rewarding career paths."
Volvo CE also invests in training for its workers and interns.
"Our investment and the time we take to train our people, whether they are an intern, a temporary employee, or a full-time employee, we treat that training and investment the same," Glennon said. "Because we never know - that intern may become a full-time employee at some point. So from day one, they get the same introduction and experience to Volvo as any other employee."
Contributed by: Volvo CE
|
SCNC 2017 Presenting Sponsors
SCNC 2017 Official Sponsors
SCNC 2017 Supporting Sponsors
Educational and Association Partners
SCNC 2017 Long-term Suppliers
Click here for a list of all sponsors and suppliers for SCNC 2017.
|
|
| |
|
