Skills Ontario Competition set to return for 30th Anniversary

Author

Enterprise Canada

Release Date

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

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TORONTO, ON (April 16, 2019) – For the 30th year in a row, students from across Ontario will put their skills to the test at the largest skilled trade and technology competition in Canada. The province’s top young talent will compete for medals, monetary awards, and job offers.

More than 2,400 primary, secondary, and post-secondary students will participate in the 2019 Skills Ontario Competition from May 6-8, 2019 at the Toronto Congress Centre. The event is expected to draw more than 35,000 spectators, including employers looking for prospective candidates in sectors that have been trying to overcome labour shortages for years.

“For the past 30 years, this competition has been an important way to help students and their families understand the types of opportunities that exist in skilled trades and technology careers,” says Skills Ontario CEO Ian Howcroft. “We’re very proud of the role we’ve been able to play with our partners to introduce more young talent into these rewarding fields and help employers expand their workforce.”

A broad range of skills and careers will be represented at the three-day competition from across the manufacturing, transportation, construction, service, and technology sectors. Gold medalists in select contests are also eligible to go on to represent Ontario at the Skills Canada National Competition on May 28-29, 2019 in Halifax, NS.

The focus of Day 1 at the Skills Ontario Competition is on elementary student participation and skill development. Elementary students from across the province will participate in a range of workshops and challenges designed to introduce them to career opportunities and relevant skills in the skilled trades and technologies. The secondary and post-secondary-level contests take place on Day 1 and 2. Competitors are judged on their skills in completing their contest project, as well as their job interview skills and related soft skills. Winners are announced at the Skills Ontario Closing Ceremony on Wednesday, May 8th at the Toronto Congress Centre (North Building).

In addition, the Skills Ontario Young Women’s Conference – the largest young women’s conference in Canada – and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Student Conference, that hosts Indigenous youth from across the province, take place in conjunction with the Skills Ontario Competition. These are key events in the effort to build the momentum for a skilled, diverse, and robust workforce in Ontario.

Skills Ontario recognizes that a growing population of skilled tradespeople is vital to Ontario’s economic and social wellbeing. While having made great strides in encouraging Ontario’s youth to explore their career opportunities, Skills Ontario continues to develop programs and hold events such as the Skills Ontario Competition to build Ontario’s skilled trades and technologies workforce.

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