September 2015 Newsletter

In this issue:

 

New discoveries

Gail with girlsThe beginning of the school year always brings so much excitement to our lives – new classrooms, new friends, new mentors, and new discoveries. As we head into the 2015-2016 school year, the Skills Ontario team hopes to spark a new passion for the skilled trades and technologies in youth across Ontario. Through our in-school presentations, aboriginal and young women’s initiatives and our always spectacular skills competitions – from the cardboard boat races to the Ontario Technological Skills Competition -- we hope to excite the curiosity of our students and encourage them to pursue the skilled trades and technologies as first-choice careers on the path to happy and successful futures.

This is a big mission to take on by ourselves; we thank the many schools, teachers, volunteers, sponsors, board members, politicians, and staff that work hard every year to make these programs and initiatives successful. It is through their dedication and support that we are changing the lives of thousands of youth in Ontario, making our province a place where individuals can develop new skills and reap the many rewards of an exciting and fulfilling career.

I would also like to personally congratulate our Ontarian members of WorldSkills Team Canada 2015 on their tremendous achievements in São Paulo, Brazil this August. Competing on the world stage, you have been able to demonstrate your skills and knowledge among the best of your peers from around the world. Congratulations Winston Lord (Humber College, Electronics); Zachary Larose & Maxime Marineau (École secondaire catholique Hearst, Mobile Robotics - Bronze Medal); Kaitlyn Hoiles (St. Lawrence College, Beauty Therapy); Ryan Green (Centennial College, Heavy Equipment - Bronze Medal); and Tyler Magri (Georgian College, CNC Machining) – you are helping to build a bright future of skilled trades and technologies in Ontario!

We can’t wait to see what new discoveries this new school year will bring and where each students’ skills will take them!

Warmest regards,

Gail Smyth

Executive Director, Skills Ontario

Upcoming Events:

September 30, 2015: Cardboard Boat Race Registration Deadline

October 13, 2015: Skills Work!® for Women Career Exploration Event, Timmins

October 20, 2015: Elementary Boat Race, Dryden

October 29, 2015: Skills Work!® for Women Career Exploration Event, Peterborough

November 5, 2015: Skills Work!® for Women Career Exploration Event, Thunder Bay

November 10, 2015: Ontario Technological Skills Competition Space Reservation Date

November 17, 2015: Elementary Boat Race, Thunder Bay

November 18, 2015: Secondary Boat Race, Thunder Bay

November 23, 2015: Mentor Build, Skills Work!® for Women Career Exploration Event, Guelph

Program Guide Cover

 

Program Guide

We invite you to browse the pages of our 2015-16 Program Guide and see the way we’re evolving to best serve our students – our in-school presentations now reach over 125,000 students per year and we’ve launched the Skills Work!® Skilled Trades Workbook to reach a new and younger audience of K-4 students. If you’re new to Skills Ontario, our Program Guide will highlight the programs, initiatives and resources we can provide you as an educator, parent or student to begin an exciting journey into the skilled trades and technologies.

Whether you are a new friend or an old one, we’re excited to have you join us this year!

Our program guide is mailed directly to Skills Ontario affiliated schools each year, but you can also read our 2015-16 Program Guide online.  English |  French

 

Skills Work! Summer Camps – Thank you for a great summer!

This past July and August, Skills Ontario facilitated 20 week-long camps across Ontario for students entering grade 7 and 8 this September. Two-hundred and eighty-seven campers from across Ontario participated in several interactive activities, workshops and industry tours that focused on skilled trades and technologies, and learned about entrepreneurship and employability skills. In addition, we had 283 volunteer mentors donate their time and expertise to provide the most relevant and interactive workshops and tours for our campers! We’d like to thank Hydro One and each of the host college and industry partners for their tremendous support in making each of these camps a success!

Please visit our camp website at www.skillsontario.com/camp for information about this incredible camp!

 

Cardboard Boat Races 2015-16 Series

The whistle blows and they’re off: cardboard boats of all shapes and sizes glide to the other side of the pool, their builders madly paddling them for all they’re worth. For those with good designs and a bit of luck, the cardboard vessels not only make it across the length of the pool, they also hold the weight of team members as they pile in, one by one. Meanwhile, teams of two record their boat-building peers’ progress from the construction stage to the races in the pool, as they work to capture the best video of the action.  

For over 20 years, Skills Ontario has been hosting Cardboard Boat Races across Ontario, testing elementary and secondary students’ ability to build a floating structure that will outperform all others in speed and weight challenges. Registration for this exciting race series and video challenge opens September 30, 2015. For information on elementary and secondary race dates and locations, requirements and registration, please visit: http://www.skillsontario.com/competitions/cardboard-boat-races-and-video-challenges

 

Mentor Build

A Professional Development Workshop for Tradeswomen, November 23, 2015

Each year, more than 250 tradeswomen representing a variety of skilled careers in the motive power, construction, industrial, service, and technology sectors volunteer their time to act as mentors to female students attending our young women’s programs.  The Mentor Build is our opportunity to give back to these mentors and train them on engaging a student audience and using their story to create positive influence in young lives.  The Mentor Build is both a career-coaching workshop for these dedicated volunteers, and a great networking opportunity.

Hosted in partnership with the Linamar Corporation at the Frank Hasenfratz Centre for Excellence in Manufacturing in Guelph, this professional development session invites tradeswomen to bring their passion for their work and real-life experiences to the table, to the benefit of all the young women in Skills Ontario related programs.

Following the workshop, participating tradeswomen act as mentors to the high school girls attending the Guelph Skills Work!® For Women Career Exploration Event. Register now!

 

Tech Chairs Needed

If you are passionate about the skilled trades and technologies and want students across Ontario to share in your excitement for the skilled trades - we want you to be a part of the Ontario Technological Skills Competition. With 67 unique contests featured at this event, there are many opportunities to inspire youth to pursue careers in skilled trades and technologies.

We are seeking volunteers to contribute to the Ontario Technological Skills Competition in several different areas. 

Technical Committee Chairs are required for:

  • Mechanical CAD
  • Auto Collision
  • Aesthetics
  • Construction Challenge
  • IT Software Solutions for Business
  • TV Video Challenge
  • Horticulture and Landscape
  • Welding
  • Elementary TV Video Challenge

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.

 

Facility Marshalls are needed for the 2016 Ontario Technological Skills Competition.

Facility Marshalls 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.

You must be organized, dedicated and passionate about promoting skilled trade and technology careers to youth and be willing to volunteer for long hours for a great cause – helping youth pursue their dreams and develop new skills!

If this sounds like the right volunteer position for you, we want to hear from you.  Visit www.skillsontario.com/volunteer-positions to see the full job description or contact Barry Harrison, Director of Competitions, at bharrison@skillsontario.com for more information.

 

Sponsor Feature: IHSA

The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) is a leader in health and safety education. Through skills-based training, auditing, and evaluation, we provide safety solutions to those who perform high-risk activities such as working at heights, working with energized high-voltage power systems, driving motor vehicles, transporting dangerous goods, working on suspended access equipment, and utility line clearing.

With a combined 250 years of safety education experience, IHSA offers high-risk activity solutions to over 117,000 member firms and 680,000 workers in Ontario. Our commitment to quality and our philosophy of skills development through education is evident in the way we deliver our 85 unique sector-specific educational programs.

No one else in the Ontario Prevention System offers the quality and scope of training we provide. Our training delivery model and our highly skilled team of regional trainers and consultants give IHSA the unique ability to offer all of our educational programs on demand, anywhere in Ontario.

The Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA) is also proud to be one of the first Working at Heights Training Partners to be approved by the Chief Prevention Officer and to have an approved Working at Heights: Fundamentals of Fall Prevention Training Program.

As part of Ontario's health and safety system, we are recognized by the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board as designated trainers and consultants. So, you can be sure that the training you get from IHSA meets regulatory requirements and compliance standards.

You are automatically a member of IHSA if you pay premiums to the WSIB in one of the 28 rate groups in the industries that we serve:

  • construction
  • electrical
  • utilities
  • transportation
  • aggregates
  • natural gas
  • ready-mix concrete

To learn more, visit ihsa.ca