CREATIVE THINKERS ADD 18 MEDALS TO OLYMPIC SCHOOL YEAR

The Best Place on Earth

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
2010EDUC0082-000838

July 19, 2010

Ministry of Education
Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development

CREATIVE THINKERS ADD 18 MEDALS TO OLYMPIC SCHOOL YEAR

VICTORIA – B.C. students competing in technical trades finished the Olympic school year on top of the podium at the 2010 Skills Canada competition, and two will go on to represent Canada at the international level in 2011, announced Education Minister Margaret MacDiarmid and Advanced Education and Labour Market Development Minister Moira Stilwell.

“Students today are creative learners who have the world as their classroom and they excel at putting their skills to use,” said MacDiarmid. “This year’s Skills Canada competitors have strong foundational skills in math and science, and the ability to demonstrate their problem-solving, teamwork and creative thinking skills, all of which are critical as they move into their professional careers.”

After winning regional and provincial Skills Canada competitions, 45 students advanced to the national competition, which was held from May 20-23 in Waterloo, Ontario. B.C. students won 18 medals – seven gold, eight silver and three bronze medals – at the national competition in technical fields that will be key to the future of B.C.’s economy, such as TV and video production, Internet web design and aircraft maintenance.

“Congratulations to each of the students from B.C. who represented our province so well on the national stage,” said Stilwell. “A highly skilled workforce is essential for our economic well-being and these results are a good indication that we have the people and world-class training needed to ensure a prosperous future.”

Two B.C. students were also chosen to be among the 30 team members representing Canada at the 2011 WorldSkills Competition in London, England:

· Michael Christensen (Sardis Secondary), Chilliwack – Mechanical Computer Aided Design

· Daniel Hall (Thompson Rivers University), Kamloops – Electronics

In order to win gold and spots on Team Canada, Christensen and Hall competed for three days in hands-on competition. Christensen demonstrated his understanding of industry standards for mechanical design by interpreting blueprints into detailed drawings and illustrating complex mechanical parts as 3D models of machinery. Hall put his passion for electronics to work as he was tasked with identifying and rebuilding electronic circuits missing key pieces, testing and repairing ‘broken’ circuit boards and creating a new electronic circuit on-the-fly.

“I have a passion to learn in the skills movement, and you can’t get to the provincials or nationals if you don’t have passion,” said Hall. “My favourite part of this competition was the training because it challenged and exposed me to new ways of looking at electrical circuits.”

Skills Canada is a non-profit organization composed of volunteers representing industry, labour, education and government dedicated to promoting and enhancing the image of professional technical and trade skills. Competitions allow students access to the newest technologies and help give positive exposure to career and education opportunities in the trades and technology industry.

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

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A backgrounder follows.

Media Contact:

Public Affairs Bureau

Ministry of Education

250 356-5963

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.

BACKGROUNDER

B.C. PARTICIPANTS AT SKILLS CANADA COMPETITION

Nolan Bedard

Carpentry

Caledonia Senior Secondary

Hometown: Terrace

Gold – Provincial

Gold – National

Daniel Besser

Robotics

Earl Marriott Secondary

Hometown: Surrey

Melissa Blomly

Hairdressing

Samuel Robertson Technical Secondary

Hometown: Maple Ridge

Gold – Provincial

Natalie Brash

3D Computer Animation

Clayton Heights Secondary

Hometown: Surrey

Gold – Provincial

Collyn Chan

Graphic Design & Print Pre-Production

Eric Hamber Secondary

Hometown: Vancouver

Gold – Provincial

Bronze – National

Michael Christensen

Mechanical Computer Aided Design

Sardis Secondary

Hometown: Chilliwack

Gold – Provincial

Gold – National

Team Canada Member

Chris Cummings

Masonry

Masonry Institute of B.C.

Hometown: Chilliwack

Gold – Provincial

Adam Delman

Architectural Computer Aided Design

Prince Charles Secondary

Hometown: Canyon

Gold – Provincial

Jared Devries

Precision Machining

B.C. Institute of Technology

Hometown: Sechelt

Gold – Provincial

Kristina Dyrblom

Baking

Vancouver Island University

Hometown: Nanaimo

Gold – Provincial

Nancy Fedoruk

Fashion Technology

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Hometown: Vancouver

Gold – Provincial

Silver – National

Katherine Finke

Cabinetmaking

South Peace Secondary

Hometown: Farmington

Gold – Provincial

Peter Fox

Computer Numerically Controlled Machining

B.C. Institute of Technology

Hometown: Coquitlam

Gold – Provincial

Lauren Gerber

TV/Video Production

Stelly’s Secondary School

Hometown: Victoria

Gold – Provincial

Silver – National

Daniel Hall

Electronics

Thompson Rivers University

Hometown: Kamloops

Gold – Provincial

Gold – National

Team Canada Member

Christopher Hall

Robotics

Earl Marriott Secondary

Hometown: Surrey

Gold – Provincial

David Hind

Automotive Service

Cowichan Secondary

Hometown: Honeymoon Bay

Gold – Provincial

Brent Hinz

Industrial maintenance (Millwright)

Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Hometown: Surrey

Gold – Provincial

Jay Kendrick-Cook

Automotive Collision Repair

Victoria High School

Hometown: Victoria

Gold – Provincial

Bronze – National

Nathaniel King

Robotics

Earl Marriott Secondary

Hometown: Surrey

Kris Kristjanson

Refrigeration

Refrigeration Training School

Hometown: Chilliwack

Gold – Provincial

Tyler Kropinak

Welding

Fraser Heights Secondary

Hometown: Surrey

Gold – Provincial

Cory Landels

TV/Video Production

Stelly’s Secondary School

Hometown: Saanichton

Gold – Provincial

Silver – National

Jonathan MacIntyre

Automotive Service

Thompson Rivers University

Hometown: Kamloops

Gold – Provincial

Gold – National

Joseph Mei

2D Character Animation

Earl Marriott Secondary

Hometown: Surrey

Silver – Provincial

Amineddin Memarnejad

IT PC Network Support

B.C. Institute of Technology

Hometown: North Vancouver

Gold – Provincial

Su Wei Ming

Industrial Wiring

B.C. Institute of Technology

Hometown: Vancouver

Gold – Provincial

Serena Morin

3D Computer Animation

Clayton Heights Secondary

Hometown: Surrey

Gold – Provincial

Jesse Ong

Baking

Templeton Secondary

Hometown: Vancouver

Gold – Provincial

Ga Jin Park

Hairdressing

Vancouver Community College

Hometown: Vancouver

Gold – Provincial

Silver – National

Jonathan Paterson

Electrical Wiring

Thompson Rivers University

Hometown: Deroche

Gold – Provincial

Jamieson Pederson

Culinary Arts

Hatzic Secondary School

Hometown: Mission

Gold – Provincial

Brent Reddick

Aircraft Maintenance

B.C. Institute of Technology

Hometown: Langley

Gold – Provincial

Silver – National

Darcy Rhodes

Carpentry

Camosun College

Hometown: Victoria

Silver – Provincial

Bronze – National

Mark Roller

Electronics

Georges P. Vanier Secondary

Hometown: Black Creek

Gold – Provincial

Gold – National

Robert Scholtens

Automotive Collision Repair

Vancouver Community College

Hometown: Powell River

Gold – Provincial

Silver – National

Arielle Schwab

Culinary Arts

Vancouver Community College

Hometown: Schwab

Gold – Provincial

Cullen Smart

Welding

Thompson Rivers University

Hometown: Princeton

Gold – Provincial

Travis Uzzell