Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Jun 15/01) - Corey Ash built an end table, Mark Campbell wired a demonstration booth, and Kimberly Novak served Canadian VIPs.
All three won medals at the Canadian Skills Competition held in Edmonton May 31 to June 3. The national competition attracted over 500 students, trade apprentices and trainees who competed in 40 skill areas.
Ash, Campbell and Novak were among 20 young NWT apprentices and trainees who were selected to go to Edmonton after winning the regional competitions in Yellowknife this past April. Another four competitors were from Nunavut.
"It was very impressive to see," said Allyson Stroeder, executive director of Skills Canada, NWT and Nunavut chapter.
"I think it was a huge learning experience for all of them and that's what Skills Canada is all about."
Skills Canada is a not-for-profit organization that works to attract more young people into careers in the skilled trades and technology. Ash, a second-year apprentice cabinetmaker, practically had to be strong-armed into competing by his boss at Horvat Construction, Eric Stutek.
"We were quite busy at work here and I wasn't sure that I had the time, but in the end I'm glad I did it."
The 27-year-old took home a silver medal from the 12-hour competition, split over two days.
"I really had to rush the last two hours because there was a lot of prep work to this thing and that's the most important part. If everything is laid out at the beginning, it all goes smooth. But if something is wrong from the beginning, it just snowballs from there.
"I just went there to give it a shot, not really thinking I was going to win. I looked around and we had some stiff competition. I just went out for the trip."
Campbell, 29, is a fourth-year apprentice electrician who works for BHP Diamonds. He got into the field initially because he had friends in it and wanted to be able to work with them.
"It's really exciting to go to work each day because in this trade with the new stuff that comes along it's forever changing. Which is the type of person I am, I like to be stimulated."
Winning bronze at the Edmonton competition also netted Campbell a $150 gift certificate from Fluke Electronics (where he ordered himself a new meter) and a jigsaw from Porter Campbell Canada.
"It's not exactly something that an electrician uses but I'm going to give it away, I'm going to give it to my brother-in-law, he's a plumber."
Novak, a server at Le Frolic and L'Heritage, had to arrange flowers, flambe meat, fold napkins, mix cocktails and recognize wines for the restaurant service competition.
She won a silver medal in that category.
