18th Skills Canada National Competition, 13-16 May 2012

By Skills/Compétences Canada

The 18th Skills Canada National Competition was held at the Edmonton EXPO Centre, in Edmonton, Alberta, 13-16 May. The event was a great success as over 500 competitors were present for the two-day Competition.

On 13 May, the Opening Ceremony kicked off the event at the EXPO Centre with the Skills Canada President, Donavon Elliott, who welcomed everyone to the official launch of the Skills Canada National Competition. This was followed by an inspiring speech from Antoine Corriveau, past member of Team Canada 2011 and winner of a Medallion for Excellence, who discussed his life-changing journey to WorldSkills London 2011. Than came a special performance from acclaimed pop/rock band ‘Radio for Help’ who performed several songs for the spectators.

The two-day Competition featured competitors from across Canada who competed to win the title of National Champion for their respective trade or technology area. For competition results, visit: http://skillscompetencescanada.com/en/2012-scnc-results/.

The Closing Ceremony, which was also held at the EXPO Centre, on May 16th, was full of energy and enthusiasm! Mike Holmes, Skills/Compétences Canada’s official spokesperson was there to congratulate all of the competitors and to offer some words of encouragement.

The first, second and third place winners for the 43 contest areas, within the six sectors, were awarded medals. As this is a qualifying year for the 42nd WorldSkills Competition, the first place winners qualified for a chance to join Team Canada and represent their country at WorldSkills Leipzig 2013, in Germany. The new Team Canada members for 2013 were announced and took the stage.

The Ceremony closed with a unique performance from aerialists who also took part in the official flag exchange between Alberta and British Columbia. For the first time, the Closing Ceremony was captured via live stream. To watch the Ceremony go to: http://jetslides.tv/lobby/735

Skills/Compétences Canada would like to congratulate all of the competitors for their hard work and perseverance. We would also like to thank the National Technical Committee Members for their time and dedication and our sponsors and partners for their ongoing support.