Secondary students from across the Maple Ridge – Pitt Meadows School District participated in the Skills Canada BC regional competition held at Westview Secondary this year.
“This is my favourite part of the year – watching these students – because they’re all dedicated,” said Westview woodshop teacher Andy Strothotte. “They want to be here. They had to earn a spot to be here.”
The regional competition was open to students in Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, Coquitlam, Burnaby and Richmond.
Students competed in either the category of cabinetmaking or auto service for a chance to win gold and move on to provincials.
“Youth are able to compete and show their talents in their selective trades and technologies,” said Shoshawna Blair, social media and program coordinator for Skills Canada BC. “It’s important because it gives them the exposure and an idea of what it’s like to have a future in the trades.”
Seven students took part in the cabinetmaking competition. They each had six hours to build a toolbox with prepared materials and plans. 
“They had to cut out, lay out, make cuts and assemble the project,” explained Strothotte. “The quality of work was actually really, really high…. Everybody’s project came out well today.”
One of the contestants was Grade 10 Maple Ridge Secondary student Matthew Dailey, who won silver.
“[It’s] to show that you’re capable of building something that will put you to another level,” he said. “I did learn new skills today with different tools, tools I’ve never used and tools I’ve never seen.”
Dailey added he hopes to join the carpentry program at Samuel Robertson Technical (SRT) when he’s in Grade 12.
“I am interested in carpentry when I am older,” he said.
The auto service competition saw students go from station to station to demonstrate various skills, including brake inspection, electrical diagnostic, battery and alternator testing, compression testing, and a wiring board.
“This is the main thing I’ve wanted to pursue since I was younger – just working on cars,” explained Aaron Funnell, a Grade 12 Westview auto service technician student at BCIT.
The competition helps him get a sense of what a job in the field may be like and the experience needed to pursue it, Funnell explained.
For example, he added, “it’s the first time I’ve ever done a compression test. It benefits me because it’s a new skill I learned today.”
SRT student Rebecca Schwarz won gold in cabinetmaking and Westview/BCIT student Ryan Jorgensen got first place in the auto service competition. Both SD42 students will be moving on to provincials at the Abbotsford Trade and Exhibition Centre on April 17, 2024.
