Ethan Eddy, a second-year Heavy Duty Equipment student in Centennial’s School of Transportation, will graduate this spring ready to start his career as a heavy duty apprentice with a full toolbox courtesy of Gray Tools Canada Inc., a major manufacturer of automotive hand tools.
Eddy was the overall winner of a competition organized by Gray Tools that was open to students and post-secondary technical institutions from across Canada. The contest, which ended on December 31, employed a “gamification” approach that required students to perform tasks using a game-like simulator while learning about tools used in the industry. Some 485 students from 150 schools nation-wide took part in the online competition.
Students earned points through online participation and achievement, vying for a grand prize of a 132-piece starter tool kit and cabinet with an approximate value of $3,000 – which Eddy happily collected as the winner. The institution with the greatest number of participants received a $2,500 gift certificate to purchase Gray tools for its program.
Centennial College took the prize as the top institution with 48 students participating in the contest. The Gray Tools Award presenters noted how impressed they were by Eddy and the School of Transportation throughout the competition, as well as during their visit to Ashtonbee Campus, where they toured all of the heavy-duty equipment and automotive labs.