Over 2,300 elementary, secondary and post secondary students and apprentices are expected to compete in this year’s Skills Ontario competition in the hopes of earning a spot to compete in the National Skills Competition, to be held in Edmonton June 4-5.
This year’s Ontario competition will take place May 7-9 at the Toronto Congress Centre. The largest competition of its kind in Canada, Skills Ontario will host competitions in 68 trade and technology categories from across the construction, manufacturing, transportation, service, and technology sectors. Students compete for gold, silver, and bronze medals, monetary awards, and job offers in select contest areas.
Gold medalists are eligible to represent Team Ontario at the Skills Canada National Competition.
Young women’s conference
Skills Ontario is also part of the movement to bring more women into the trades, endeavoring to change misconceptions about the skilled trades being dirty, low-paying, and generally unsuitable to female workers.
Throughout the year, the organization and its partners host Young Women’s Career Exploration Events at locations across Ontario that bring education, hands-on experience, and mentorship together. This event series culminates in the Young Women’s Conferences that will be held at the Skills Ontario Conference. The largest event of its kind in Canada, the Young Women’s Conference is expected to attract over 2,000 young women from across Ontario.
“Young women need to know that the trades and technologies offer many opportunities that can lead to bright, stable and successful futures,” said Ian Howcroft, CEO of Skills Ontario. “Skills Ontario looks forward to continuing to work with our partners from government, industry, and education to increase the momentum for gender equality, and a strong and diverse workforce.”
For more information, please visit www.skillsontario.com.