Central Alberta high school students wanted to prove they were the best at their skill.
Skills Canada Alberta hosted its annual competition at Red Deer College Thursday, where students competed in various competitions; automotive technology, baking, cabinet making, carpentry, culinary arts, electrical installations, hairstyling, video production and welding.
Alycia Pawluk, Skills Canada Alberta programming and education manager, said it was a very successful event.
“The people that competed today are exceptional. The courage they show to come out and showcase their skills is really spectacular.
“The goal (of the event) is for these students to foster a skill – something they want to showcase. We like to give them an outlet to do just that,” Pawluk said.
The top two in each competition will advance to a provincial skills competition in Edmonton in May. They will then have a chance to advance to nationals.
Students registered online to compete in Thursday’s regional competition at RDC.
“We have an education facilitator that tours around to schools in Alberta and get them excited and ramped up. From there, they can read competition descriptions online,” Pawluk said.
Garnett Schoettler, an instructor at RDC, led the culinary arts competition.
“We want to give them an opportunity to learn and come here and compete to test their skills against other high school students from around Central Alberta,” said Schoettler.
Student competitors were asked to prepare minestrone soup and a steak dish with mashed potatoes and vegetables.
“When I was in high school I could only make Campbell’s soup and Kraft Dinner so it’s really neat for them to have this opportunity to cook at a this level,” said Schoettler.
“This program is not home economics where you just bake some muffins or some cookies. It’s excellent the way it’s developed over the last decade or so,” he said.
sean.mcintosh@reddeeradvocate.com
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