STUDENT TRADE AND TECHNOLOGY SKILLS HONOURED

VICTORIA – In a special ceremony today, Education Minister Shirley Bond and Advanced Education and Labour Market Development Minister Murray Coell honoured B.C. students who achieved top ranking in their field at the 2008 Canadian Skills Competition.

“Our government places a strong emphasis on the value of trades and technology training and job creation,” said Bond. “This training helps students transition from the classroom to the worksite, and today’s event is a chance to recognize some of the excellent work being done by students in these areas.”

B.C. sent 42 students to compete in 32 contest areas in trades and technology, ranging from carpentry and cooking to computer animation. Nineteen B.C. secondary and post-secondary students won medals, with Team B.C. earning six gold, six silver and seven bronze awards. The 14^th Canadian Skills Competition in Calgary featured more than 500 students from across the country.

“The students we are recognizing today have done far more than simply acquire the knowledge to perform a job,” said Coell. “To their great credit, they have challenged themselves to be the best at what they do and now can look forward to applying their talents and skills to succeed in their future careers in trades and technology.”

Surrey’s Caitlin Mayo, a Vancouver College student, and Brian Everts, a BCIT student from Maple Ridge, will represent B.C. as part of Team Canada at the World Skills Competition to be held in Calgary next year, Sept. 1-6, 2009.

“This is a fantastic way for the Province to recognize these young people,” said Adam Thorvaldson, executive director of Skills Canada BC. “We thank the Province for hosting this great event and showcasing their trades and technology achievements at the national level.”

As part of the ceremony, students presented a number of demonstrations, featuring video production, baking, women’s apparel, electronics and a spaghetti bridge.

“There is a significant demand right now for skilled workers in this province and that is expected to continue in the future,” said Bond. “These students are making a terrific choice to pursue a career in trades.”

There will be an estimated one million job openings over the next decade in B.C. while only 650,000 are expected to graduate with the requisite skills for those jobs over the same time period.

The Province is committed to providing trades and technology training and opportunities to help achieve its goals of becoming the best-educated, most literate jurisdiction on the continent and creating more jobs per capita in B.C. than anywhere else in Canada.

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For a list of the B.C. winners, please see the Skills Canada BC news release at www.skillscanada.bc.ca/competition/NationalResults/SCBCNationalResultsrelease08.pdf


Media contact:	Public Affairs Bureau Ministry of Education 250 356-5963

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