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Red Deer Polytechnic trades apprentices score big at national and provincial competitions

Two RDP apprentices qualified to compete globally this fall
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Red Deer Polytechnic trades apprentices scored big at provincial and national competitions (Contributed photo)

Two Red Deer Polytechnic apprentices have qualified to compete at a global level in what’s considered the Olympics of skills competitions.

In total, apprentices from RDP earned 10 medals, overall in Skills Canada provincial and national competitions.

The two apprentices who rose to the top of the nation in their trade are Dayton Playford, who won gold in welding, and Tristen Hatto who achieved gold for electrical installations.

The two qualified to compete in the World Skills International Competition, originally scheduled for Shanghai in October 2022. That global competition now has to be rescheduled and a new date and location are expected to be known by the end of June.

Lee Yasinski, welding instructor and skills coach, said both competitors will be practicing the skills to capture a world medal. “Often this is …referenced as the Olympics in trades.”

In early May, a wider field of RDP apprentices participated in the Skills Canada Alberta Competition, earning eight medals, including three golds. More than 130 post-secondary apprentices in Alberta competed for medals in 24 trades.

“We are very proud of our apprentices,” says Jim Brinkhurst, interim president at RDP. “Their outstanding accomplishments … affirm that Red Deer Polytechnic’s trades apprenticeship programs rank at, or near, the top of all apprenticeship programs in Alberta and Canada.”

Skills Canada Alberta, part of the national association, Skills Canada, is a non-profit organization that promotes careers in skilled trades and technologies to meet industry and education demands.

At a provincial competition in Edmonton, Red Deer Polytechnic’s Apprentices achieved the following results: In carpentry, Andrew Jacob won silver and Hunter Baldwin won bronze; in electrical installations, Hatto won gold; in sprinkler and fire protection systems, Jake Ewashen (gold), Brendan Hermary (silver), and Wyatt Richardson (bronze); and in welding Playford won gold and Ben Rainforth (bronze).

The Polytechnic’s gold medallists advanced to the Skills Canada National Competition in Vancouver in May, where more than 500 post-secondary Apprentices competed across 38 trades.

Joel Gingrich, Dean of School of Education and Trades, believes the partnerships between Red Deer Polytechnic and central Alberta industry were instrumental in the success each apprentice achieved. “I am extremely grateful for these collaborations, which help our Apprentices to become leaders in their fields and careers,” he said.

More information about Red Deer Polytechnic’s Apprenticeships can be found online.