SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife celebrated the achievements of students from across the Northwest Territories on Tuesday as Skills Canada announced the winners of the Territorial Skills Competition.
Yellowknife's Richard Neary won gold in the electrical engineering category and will be going on to represent the Northwest Territories at the national championships in Vancouver. - Cody Punter/NNSL photo |
Competitors in 17 categories walked away with gold medals and a chance to represent the Northwest Territories at the national championships being held in Vancouver June 5 to 8.
Austin Miller from St. Patrick High School won a gold medal in the carpentry category. He has been working with wood for as long as he can remember and is just one example of the kind of hard work and dedication that it takes to become a champion.
"I just love working with wood," he said. Miller grew up watching his father, who was a source of inspiration from the beginning.
"My dad used to work in the lumber industry and always liked helping him out."
The event was organized by Skills Canada NWT, which is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote youth involvement in trades. The organization provides a variety of workshops and extra-curricular programs across the territory throughout the year.
While Skills Canada's focus is on building skills, the competition offers a chance for high school students and apprentices to showcase their skills in a competitive environment.
This year's competition featured 66 competitors in a variety of trades ranging from heavy equipment mechanics to baking.
The event also featured 22 exhibitors, as part of a careers expo, which gave students who were not involved in the competition a chance to try their hand at some of the trades.
This year's competition included several participants who went on to represent the Northwest Territories at the national championships, including Colin Miller, no relation to Austin Miller, who represented Canada in the plumbing category at the World Skills Americas competition, which were held in Brazil last November. Colin was beaten this year in an upset which saw Lawrence Pellissey take home the gold in the plumbing division.
The prospect of representing the territory on a national scale gives students and apprentices something to aim for. But some students are already setting their sights beyond the competition.
Kenya Parent, who won the silver medal in the hairstyling category, hopes to one day open her own hair salon.
Meanwhile, Olivia Williams, who won the bronze medal in the cooking category, hopes to one day be a chef with her own restaurant.
"I want to help teenagers with eating disorders," she said.
