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COTR hosting Skills BC competitions
College of the Rockies’ main campus will play host to three skills contests for the Kootenay Region in the Skills Canada British Columbia (Skills BC) competition on Friday, March 6.
The competition is open to individuals under the age of 24 who are not yet at full journeyman status. College of the Rockies will host the Carpentry, Cabinet Making, and Welding skills competitions. TV/Video Production and Architectural Computer Animated Drawing/Drafting competitions will take place online prior to March 6.
Skills BC is a non-profit organization that partners with government, educators, private industry and labour to promote and celebrate skilled trades and technologies. With the looming shortage of skilled trades and technology workers in the province, Skills BC looks to encourage students to explore trades and technology career options by providing them with positive and exciting hands-on experiences.
Competitions will be taking place in 13 regions across B.C. Winners of the regional competitions will advance to the Provincials in Abbotsford in April where they will have the chance of advancing to the National and World Skills competitions.
College of the Rockies’ Regional Transition Coordinator and co-chair of the Skills BC Steering Committee Brian Conrad says, “The competition serves to celebrate and reward students for their excellence in trade or technology skills and to create an interactive and engaging environment for the many young people who attend the competitions as spectators.”
In an effort to further encourage youth to discover trades, two hundred grade five and six students from Cranbrook will be bussed to the college to observe the skills competitions and to test out a trade with one of the exhibitors on-site.
Local grade four and five students will be creating spaghetti bridges and bringing them to the event to be tested by college physics instructor Jim Bailey.
“These events are part of the provincial initiative to raise awareness of technical trades and of the rewards of these career options. We encourage parents and the public to also come to the College to check out the activities,” notes Conrad.
For more information about the Skills BC competition contact Brian Conrad at (250) 489-2751 ext. 3380 or email [email protected].
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