Issued by SkillsPEI.

Team PEI brought home seven medals from the 28th Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) held in Vancouver, British Columbia recently.

The Skills Canada PEI team consisted of 13 students and apprentices. Three students won silver medals, Jillian Clark, Holland College Tourism and Culinary Centre, in the Cooking competition; Megan McLauchlan, Private Institute of Hair Design and Aesthetics, in the Aesthetics competition; and Clark Murphy, Holland College, in the Precision Machining competition. Clark Murphy also took home Best in Region. Two students won bronze; Rodney Dufour, Holland College Computer Information Systems graduate, in the Cloud Computing competition, and Bryce Knowles, Holland College, in the Refrigeration and Air Conditioning competition. Paige McMillan, Holland College, earned a gold medal in 3D Game Design in the WorldSkills Selection competition, and Alixandra Miller won bronze in Graphic Design Technology.

“It was exciting to have the opportunity to showcase PEI students again after a two-year hiatus. We are incredibly proud of the level of skill and dedication shown by the entire team,” said Tawna MacLeod, Executive Director of Skills Canada PEI. “It's been a challenging year for these students. This is well-deserved recognition of the calibre of talent we have here on P.E.I. Our students were competing against the very best from across Canada, the competition was very stiff, and the entire team has done P.E.I. proud.”

The event, which was held at the Vancouver Convention Centre, drew over 3,000 spectators who watched 350 of Canada’s best skilled trade and technology students and apprentices compete in 45 separate competitions in six different sectors: construction, services, manufacturing, transportation, information technology and employability. The National Skills Competition is the only Olympic-style competition that highlights areas of trades and technology and celebrates student excellence in these areas.

“Congratulations to all the outstanding PEI students who participated at the Skills Canada Competition. Your accomplishments are a testament to your hard work and dedication, and the quality of the post-secondary education and training here in PEI,” said Natalie Jameson, Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning. “We are proud of our talented youth; they are the future of our province.”  

"I am very happy to see that we are once again able to have our PEI students compete at the Nationals,” said Dr Sandy MacDonald, President, Holland College. “It is an amazing experience, and we are extremely proud to see our graduates do so well.”  

Each year Skills Canada PEI organizes provincial competitions in 36 areas of trades and technology competitions. The winners of these competitions form the P.E.I. delegation for the national event.

The 2023 National Skills Competition takes place in May 2023 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.   

In this picture: Jillian Clark, left, silver medal winner in Cooking at the Winners Circle in Vancouver, British Columbia, with the gold and silver medal winners, Vy Le, Manitoba, centre, and Olivia Sewell, NS.

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