Skills competition builds the trades

BY WENDY ELLIOTT

welliott@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

Three Kingstec students won gold medals at the 11th annual Nova Scotia Skills Competition.

The first gold medalist was Keegan Balcomb in the electrical wiring competition. The other two gold medalists were Howard Wagner and Adrian de Montfort, who took part in the landscape gardening competition.

This is the second year in a row Kingstec’s horticulture students have taken home gold. They will compete in the Canadian Skills Competition. Gold medalists become part of Team Nova Scotia in Calgary from May 25-28.

College students and apprentices from across the province competed against their peers in skilled trades and technologies at the competition and open house last month at the Nova Scotia Community College campus in Kentville.

With the rise of retiring tradespeople and the need for technological expertise, these competitions are essential to Nova Scotia, says marketing coordinator Shannon O’Halloran, because they encourage excellence while highlighting careers that have a growing demand in the province.

Certified skilled tradespeople in this province, OHalloran noted, average in age between 40-50 years, and “we are quickly facing a skilled labour shortage. Many new jobs have also been created in technology and the future of this sector greatly depends on young men and women,” she stated.

“The objective of the Nova Scotia Skills Competition is to educate young people about the opportunities that are available in trades and technology in our province,” said Susanne Anderson, executive director of Skills Canada for Nova Scotia.

“This event is also an excellent opportunity for young people to show off their skills. Anyone who chooses a career in the trades or technology should feel confident that they have a bright future ahead of them,” she said.