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UGDSB secondary students qualify for Skills Ontario competition 

April 4, 2023 

GUELPH, ON – On April 1, 2023, several Upper Grand District School Board secondary students competed in Barrie and Midland at the annual Skills Ontario qualifying competition.  

The competition featured students from Central Ontario competing in a range of technical and vocational skills. UGDSB students performed very well in the Culinary Arts, TV & Video Production (Team of 2) and Welding competitions.  

Not only did several UGDSB students participate in this competition, but many took home medals.  

In the Culinary Arts competition, the gold medal went to James F-H from CWDHS in Fergus, who impressed the judges with his perfectly prepared main dish and dessert.  

Emma P, also from CWDHS, came in a close 2nd in the event. Both students were mentored by Chef Jess from CWDHS.  

For the Welding competition, 2nd and 3rd place went to Ava K and Rachel A from ODSS. Both students competed last year at the Skills Ontario Provincial Competition and improved their results after practicing throughout the past year with Coach Richard Alexander from ODSS.  

In the TV & Video Production (Team of 2) event, Eden G and Ava B from ODSS were coached by TJ Neal and went on to win 3rd place creating a Public Service Announcement related to climate change.  

The wildcard spot went to Alec D and Julia V from CWDHS. They were mentored by Coach Jose Martinez.  

All of the above students will be representing the UGDSB at the Skills Ontario Provincial Competition taking place at the Toronto Congress Centre on Tue, May 2nd, 2023. 

Other students who participated included: 

Speaking about the competition, Skills Ontario CEO Ian Howcroft said, “It’s always inspiring to see such incredible talent on display at our qualifying competition. These students have worked incredibly hard to get here, and their dedication and commitment to their chosen fields is truly impressive. We can’t wait to see them represent their school boards at the provincial level.” 

The Skills Ontario Qualifying Competition is just one part of a larger initiative aimed at promoting technical and vocational skills among young people in Ontario. Through events like this, Skills Ontario hopes to encourage more young people to pursue careers in these fields, which are essential to the province’s economy. 

Congratulations to all the winners and to those students who participated. We wish everyone moving on to the provincial competition luck! 

Skills Ontario is sponsored by OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program) and the MLITSD (Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Trades, and Skills Development). If you have any questions about becoming more involved in Skills Ontario or the Apprenticeship and Skilled Trades Pathway, please contact the UGDSB OYAP Coordinator, Joanne Harris, at [email protected]. 

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