Calendar
January 2016 Newsletter
In this issue:
- Upcoming Events
- Message from Gail Smyth
- Skills Work! ® Summer Camp Registration
- OTSC Volunteers
- Cardboard Boat Race Update
- In-School Presentations
- Glen Beatty Award 2016: Congratulations Russ Jessop
- OTSC Registration – A Record Year!
- ChangeIt
- Sponsor Feature: Humber College
- Welcome Mazda Canada: Car Supplier at 2016 OTSC
- Welcome Grand River Health and Safety
February 2, 2016: Elementary Cardboard Boat Race, Wingham
February 4, 2016: Elementary Cardboard Boat Race, Guelph
February 9, 2016: Young Women’s Conference Registration Opens
February 11, 2016: Build A Dream, Windsor
February 16, 2016: Aboriginal Focused Mentoring Event, Sudbury
February 18, 2016: Aboriginal Focused Trades and Tech Day, Sault Ste. Marie
March 1, 2016: Elementary Cardboard Boat Race Championship, Waterloo
March 1, 2016: Skills Work! ® For Women Career Exploration Event, Toronto
March 2, 2016: Secondary Cardboard Boat Race Championship, Waterloo
March 15, 2016: Klaus Woerner Skilled Trades Hall of Fame Nominations Due
March 25, 2016: OTSC Registration Deadline
March 31, 2016: Dick Hopkins Award Applications Due
Happy New Year and as 2016 begins and we enter our 27th year of promoting careers in the skilled trades and technologies, I invite you to resolve to dream big with Skills Ontario.
Our big dream is to encourage more youth in Ontario to find meaningful careers in the skilled trades and technologies. We dream of an economically successful Ontario where youth can find satisfaction in work that is motivating and in-demand. It’s been our dream from our inception in 1989 and we see pieces of our dream coming true each day: over 2,200 schools partner with Skills Ontario to reap the benefits of affiliation each year; over 8.4 million dollars of in-kind support are donated each and every year to ensure the ongoing viability of Skills Ontario’s programs; over 1,500 volunteers dedicate their time and expertise to mentor the future workforce of Ontario.
We want to thank you on behalf of the thousands of young people we meet each year for your support and for your belief in the future workforce and the potential of young people in Ontario. Dream your big dreams with us; educators, this is the year that you can inspire all of your students to discover new skills; sponsors, this is the year that you can throw your support into causes that you genuinely love and care about; parents, this is the year that can you glow with pride and satisfaction knowing that you are helping your child find their passion; students, this is the year that you can pursue your dream career no matter how challenging it seems. I believe that together we can dream bigger in 2016.
Sincerely,
Gail Smyth
Skills Work!® Summer Camp is a week-long day program for kids entering grades 7-9. Through hands-on activities relevant to the skilled trades, campers develop communication, problem-solving and teamwork skills. Campers take part in hands-on counselor and industry-led workshops in the industrial, construction, motive power, services and technology sectors; they explore careers in skilled trades through interactive games, industry tours and entrepreneurship programs.
Camp registration will open online on January 20. Click here to register for this fun-filled, week-long event!
Skills Ontario is looking for individuals to step forward for the following positions as we prepare for the largest Skilled Trade and Technology Competition in Canada:
1. Technical Committee Chairs
- Aesthetics
- Construction Challenge
- IT Software Solutions for Business
2. Facility Marshals – play a key role in ensuring the success of the OTSC by organizing and facilitating set up and tear down of the OTSC as well as being a resource to Volunteer Technical Committee Chairs during the event. Volunteers are needed between April 29 – May 6.
3. Job Interview volunteers
4. Translators
5. Judges are needed for nearly all 67 contests hosted at the OTSC.
To learn more about these and other volunteer opportunities please visit www.skillsontario.com/volunteer-positions or email Barry Harrison, Director of Competitions, at bharrison@skillsontario.com.
The 2016 Cardboard Boat Race season is underway with the first Elementary Boat Races of the year taking place in Brantford, Ottawa, Sturgeon Falls, and Markham on January 26. The top three teams from each race are invited to the Provincial Championships in Waterloo, held on March 1 and 2 at the Waterloo Memorial Recreation Complex.
We are still looking for volunteer judges at many of our 2016 races. If you are interested in volunteering in this position, please contact Natasha Oliver at noliver@skillsontario.com.
Careers in the skilled trades and technologies offer many rewards. Job satisfaction and good pay are just a couple of them. This presentation helps students in grades 7-12 explore the realities of today’s job market, the four educational pathways, and specific careers within the Energy, Construction, Service, Manufacturing, Transportation and Technology sectors. We are also proud to offer presentations specifically geared towards Aboriginal audiences.
In-school presentations are still available for booking. Find out more about what in-school presentations can offer you, and book yours today!
Skills Ontario is delighted to honour Russ Jessop with the 2016 Glenn Beatty award, an award that recognizes outstanding volunteers at Skills Ontario. Russ has been a dedicated volunteer for Skills Ontario for many years: he is the Plumbing Contest Tech Chair at the Ontario Technological Skills Competition (OTSC) and a National Technical Committee member. He is also the World Expert for Plumbing at WorldSkills. Those who work with Russ describe him as always eager to help and incredibly organized, always running his contests smoothly. Congratulations Russ – we look forward to working with you again this year!
Click here to learn more about the Glenn Beatty Award.
OTSC Registration – A Record Year!
Space reservation for the Ontario Technological Skills Competition (OTSC) opened on November 10, 2015, with some impressive initial numbers:
- 638 secondary students are registered for the qualifying competitions
- 644 elementary students are registered for the elementary challenges
- 1147 secondary students are registered for the OTSC
- 407 post-secondary students/apprentices are registered for the OTSC
These are the largest registration numbers Skills Ontario has seen for all contest levels, so we are on track to having the largest OTSC yet!
Skills Ontario is now a Charity Partner of ChangeIt®! This is a new way to give while making everyday purchases. ChangeIt lets you automatically round up your purchases and donate the difference to us!
Established in 1967, Humber is one of Canada’s leading postsecondary institutions (http://www.humber.ca/). Committed to student success through practical, career-focused learning, Humber serves more than 29,000 full-time students and 23,000 part-time and continuing education registrants. With an internationally recognized reputation for quality learning, Humber offers a wide range of hands-on opportunities for students to personalize their educational path. Our 160 full-time programs encompass 40 areas of study and approximately 200 part-time and 400 online programs and courses. As a founding member of Polytechnics Canada, an association committed to producing career-ready graduates who can incorporate critical thinking, theoretical understanding and practical skills, Humber offers students the opportunity to participate in applied research projects that find solutions for issues confronting small and medium-sized enterprises. Humber is also one of 12 Vanguard Learning Colleges as identified by the League of Innovation, and the League’s only Canadian board member. More than four out of five Humber graduates are employed within six months after completing their studies.
At Humber we know that skilled trades play an important role in our economy, and that Canada currently faces a critical shortage of skilled workers. With rapid changes in technology and as current workers in the field begin to retire, there will be an increasing demand for skilled tradespeople. This is why we offer programs ranging from plumbing apprenticeships to welding techniques and many more. Students learn valuable skills by using the latest industry software programs and working in fully equipped up-to-date labs and shops. Check out a few of our technology programs here (https://www.humber.ca/appliedtechnology/programs).
Humber is a proud sponsor of Skills Ontario because the competition gives our students the opportunity to hone the skills they’ve learned in the classroom and apply them in a high-intensity, real-world environment. Humber has a long history participating in the competition which offers a unique and thrilling way for our students to learn as they complete their tasks to the highest possible quality while racing against the clock. Watch our students compete at the 2014 Ontario Skills competition (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4oYwsz155w), and check out our 2015 winners (http://www.humber.ca/appliedtechnology/news/ontario-technological-skills-competition-2015).
We are thrilled to welcome Mazda Canada as the Car Supplier for the 2016 OTSC! Mazda Canada has confirmed that they will be providing all 20 vehicles, as well as covering the cost of shipping for the vehicles! Thank you, Mazda Canada for your generous support of the OTSC!
Skills Ontario is very excited to welcome Grand River Occupational Health and Safety as our Official Health and Safety Service provider. Grand River’s experience will help us improve and communicate our safety processes around the OTSC.
