IQALUIT - Team Nunavut returned from the annual Skills Canada competition with two silver medals and some great experience.

Sixteen young delegates from across the territory headed south to Saskatchewan from June 6 to 9 to test their mettle in trades ranging from computers to carpentry.

Sileema Angoyuak of Iqaluit competed in the Skills Canada IT office software applications category, while Pond Inlet's Alexandra Anaviapik tested her mettle in the prepared speech category. - photo courtesy of Jamie Bell

Iqaluit's Lucy Idlout won a silver medal in the hairdressing category.

Lauren Solski and Bjorn Simonsen, also from Iqaluit, won silver for their work in TV and video production.

It was a real accomplishment for the relatively new Nunavut team, according to Michelle Jacquard, executive director of Skills Canada Nunavut.

"A lot of them are really nervous when they see what they're up against, but we tell them, 'We're only two years old, and we're the smallest team, but we're so proud of you guys!'" she said.

Idlout, who recently completed her level one in hairdressing at the Nunavut Arctic College, said she overcame the pressure of competing by simply concentrating on the task at hand.

"Once you start going you just focus and forget sometimes that you're in a competition. But I didn't even expect to get a medal, because there were a lot of good ones," she said.

The competition is a good opportunity to learn new skills and meet others in the industry, and it made her love her craft even more, Idlout added.

"I always wanted to be a hairdresser. Ever since I was a little kid I was always playing with hair. I would cut my Barbie dolls' hair," she said with a laugh. "I even cut my own bangs a few times when I was a little kid!"

Every year the pan-Canadian competition attracts about 500 young people to compete in over 40 sectors of trade.

It is aimed at youth, but does include those in post-secondary programs and apprenticeships.

Nunavut's team was selected during a territorial competition held in Iqaluit in March. Its members included representatives from seven different hamlets.

Many of the competitors have only experienced their trade through skills clubs at school, so the concept behind the event stretches far beyond the competition, according to Jacquard.

"Normally they work on their trade or technology in a school with their volunteer instructor, so getting out like this really adds a lot of scope to their experience," she said. "Some of them come back with a real renewed sense of commitment to their craft."