Skills / Compétences Canada
A national not-for-profit that has championed skilled trades and technology careers for young Canadians since 1989.
Designed and ran the graphic design competition for Skills / Compétences Canada, one of more than 40 skilled trade and technology contests staged from the regional level up to the national stage. Coast to coast, it gave students a place to test their craft, measure it against the best in the country, and take a real step toward a career in the field.
- 01 Roles
- Adjudication, Assessment Design, Committee Leadership, Competition Design, Infrastructure Planning, Stakeholder Communication
- 02 Collaborators
National Office Marilou LeducNational Technical Committee April Condon, Becki Peckham, Cameron Mackay, Craig Chislett, James Rogowy, Jim Hoffman, John Barry, Lyle Cruise, Michel Bulon, Michel Maltais, Tracey LandryProvincial Judges Albert Law, Chloe Stark, Tim IrelandProvincial Office Amber Papou, Bill Yang, René Ragetli
- 03 Website
- skillscompetencescanada.com
Across Canada
An Olympic-style path to the world stage
Skills / Compétences Canada runs on an Olympic-style structure. Students start at regional competitions, and the winners advance to the provincial and territorial level. Provincial champions go on to the Skills Canada National Competition, where more than 500 of the country's best go head to head across 40-plus trades and technologies, with every province and territory represented. The top performers there earn a place on WorldSkills Team Canada, representing the country against the best young talent on the world stage. At every level the goal is the same: to raise the standard of the trades and technologies, and to nurture the next wave of talent the industry depends on.
Designing the competition
Co-Chair, National Technical Committee for Graphic Design
As Co-Chair of the National Technical Committee for Graphic Design, I shaped both what the competition tested and how it ran, collaborating with representatives from every province and territory to keep it consistent and fair. I defined the set of skills and techniques competitors would be measured on, then designed each contest end to end across the regional, provincial, and national rounds:
- The project and scope
- The judging criteria
- The equipment and infrastructure lists
- The floor plans for each venue
I also fielded questions from educators and participants across the country, and during the events I evaluated competitors and helped tabulate scores and collate rankings at both the secondary and post-secondary levels.
Scenes from competitions
On the floor, coast to coast
The competitions are equal parts skill test and celebration. Over a few intense days, students from every province and territory go head to head on the same brief, judged on the same criteria, surrounded by the noise, nerves, and camaraderie of a national event. These moments capture that energy: the focus on the floor, the pride of representing home, and the point where a student realizes how far their craft can take them.
Note: Photo courtesy of Skills / Compétences Canada