Centennial College students not only brought home 14 medals from the annual Skills Ontario Competition this past week – winning three gold, six silver and five bronze – but for a fourth consecutive year Centennial has capped off an excellent competition by winning the College Award of Distinction. In addition, four of our medal finishers will now advance to the Skills Canada National Competition at the Vancouver Conventional Centre at the end of May.
Our continued success at the annual skills competitions is an enduring testimony to the skills and talent of our students, who are taught, guided and coached by our dedicated faculty and support staff colleagues. Our collective achievement again this year demonstrates just how well we’re preparing our students for today’s job market, not to mention elevating their self-confidence and personal growth.
Skills Ontario engages students in competitions to demonstrate experiential learning while showcasing career opportunities in skilled trades and technologies. Hosted each spring by college faculty and industry partners, Skills Ontario elected to have most of the competition take place online this year due to pandemic concerns.
For many of the contests, this meant a shift to on-camera tests or projects. Some contests, such as Automotive Service, Heavy Equipment, and Heating Systems were able to run an in-person competition at a venue. In fact, thanks to Centennial staff and faculty, these three particular contests were hosted in our very own here at Centennial College.
Despite all the unknowns this year, Centennial entered 19 contests involving 45 students from the Schools of Transportation (SoT), Engineering Technology and Applied Science (SETAS), and Communications, Media, Arts and Design (SCMAD). Our students trained hard with plenty of coaching from their faculty. Moving on to the National Competition are four outstanding Centennial students:
Daniyal Ahmed – Web Design and Development (SETAS)
William Innes – Outdoor Powered Equipment (SoT)
Malcolm Matwijec – Heavy Equipment Service (SoT)
Mariana Quinn – Graphic Design – Studio Production (SCMAD)
If one or more student succeeds in Vancouver, then Shanghai here we come for the WorldSkills Competition in China. Needless to say, we wish all four students the very best of luck and we’re rooting for you every step of the way!
The Skills Ontario Competition has been a signature event for Centennial for more than 25 years and it doesn’t just happen. It takes a lot of commitment and time, especially from our staff and faculty, not only in teaching and preparing our students for the rigours of competition, but in coordinating our efforts with Skills Ontario, too.
To all the competitors and organizers who contributed to our incredible results at Skills Ontario this year, your passion, sheer dedication and unbelievable hard work culminated in a very proud moment for Centennial, one that we hope will be repeated later this year on the national and international stage! Our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved!