Students aim to represent New Brunswick when province hosts Skills Canada competition

Students went head to head on Saturday at Sussex Regional High School in hopes of earning the right to represent New Brunswick when the province hosts the national Skills Canada competition this June.

“We have a carpentry competition where the task might be to frame three walls and a floor,” Luc Morin, Executive Director for Skills Canada New Brunswick explains.

“In cooking for example they might be asked to prepare a three or four course meal, in electrical wiring they might be asked to circuit a certain part of a house.”

Students from throughout the province competed in various categories, with the top finisher in each earning gold and a spot on team New Brunswick.

“I think it’d be life changing,” said Taylor Pearson on why he was hoping to win. “It’d be an amazing experience and I’d be really honoured if it was a possibility.”

Making the provincial team is no small feat but students say this year would be better than any other as it marks the first time New Brunswick has hosted the national competition.

“I’d be happy if I won anywhere,” said Kayla Reicker who was competing in her second Canada Skills Competition. “But especially being here in my home province representing New Brunswick in New Brunswick.”

Several more competitions are still to come with 40 students slated to make the provincial team.

They’ll face off with the rest of the country June 5 to 8 in what Skills Canada says will be an exciting event.

“It will encompass over 22,000 square feet at the Moncton Coliseum,” said Morin. “It will involve 600 students coming from all the provinces and territories competing in all the different trades and technologies.”

From there the country’s big winners will be invited to attend the world championships held in the United Arab Emirates later in the year.