Calendar
Spring 2015 Newsletter
In this issue:
- Message from Gail Smyth, Executive Director
- Upcoming Events
- National Volunteer Week, April 12-18
- OTSC Qualifying Competitions – Saturday, April 18
- Come see where the future performs: OTSC 2015
- OTSC Pin and Medal contest winners announced
- Volunteer at OTSC 2015
- Young Women’s Initiatives Update
- They're Back! - Trades and Tech Days
- Sponsor Feature: Lambton College
- Skills Work!® Summer Camps
Message from Gail Smyth, Executive Director
As the days to 26th annual Ontario Technological Skills Competition countdown, I can’t help but reflect back on all the milestones we’ve reached – with your support. From the first OTSC in 1989 with 100 people in attendance, to today’s competition, the largest skilled trades competition in Canada with over 20,000 attendees each year! It really is amazing to think of how far we’ve come.
This year, there is a record number of 2,000 contest competitors coming from high schools and colleges across Ontario to compete at the OTSC; there will be 2,500 students participating in our Elementary Challenges – the most ever; and the Young Women’s Conference reached capacity within minutes of registration opening, with over 700 girls attending. There will be hundreds of buses of students making their way to RIM Park; over 16.5 kilometers of electrical cable and extension cords will be set up; and adding up the number of steps our staff and volunteers will take to set up the OTSC is greater than the distance of nine marathons! It’s hard to appreciate the magnitude of the OTSC until you experience it for yourself.
In addition, we are very excited for the WorldSkills Competition, held this August in Brazil. There’s no better way to demonstrate to a future employer or a prospective client that you have the competency, knowledge and skill required to do a job well than by proving you are the best of the best in your field. And a gold, silver or bronze medal in any of these competitions will do just that.
Good luck to this year’s competitors! I look forward to seeing what you can do!
Gail Smyth, Executive Director
Skills Ontario
We’ve got an action-packed month ahead: the OTSC Qualifying Competitions, Skills Work! For Women – Career Exploration Events, and the OTSC 2015, May 4-6 -- join us there!
April 18: OTSC Qualifying Competitions
April 21: Skills Work! For Women – Career Exploration Event (Pembroke)
April 23: Skills Work! For Women – Career Exploration Event (Ottawa & Durham College)
May 4-6: OTSC at RIM Park in Waterloo
May 4 & 5: Young Women's Conference at Bingemans
May 27-30: Skills Canada National Competition, Saskatoon
July: Skills Work! Summer Camps begin!
August 11-16: WorldSkills Competition, Sao Paulo, Brazil
August 14: Skills Ontario Board of Directors Scholarship application is due
National Volunteer Week, April 12-18
Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all of our volunteers! The Skills Ontario team has big dreams and we have a crew of over 1,000 volunteers that help those dreams come true. Volunteers help with everything from organizing and judging contests at the Ontario Technological Skills Competition, to mentoring young women in their career paths, to facilitating workshops at our Skills Work!® Summer Camp Programs. Regardless of the task, our volunteers roll up their sleeves and dig – THANK YOU!
OTSC Qualifying Competitions – Saturday, April 18
Qualifying Competitions were introduced in 2005 because some contests are simply too popular. For these contests, students must first compete at a Qualifying Competition before they advance to the OTSC. The Competitions are held simultaneously in seven colleges across the province, and this year, they take place this Saturday, April 18, 2015.
The 2015 Qualifying Competitions include the following contests:
• 2D Character Animation (Team of 2)
• Carpentry-Individual
• Culinary Arts
• Small Powered Equipment
• TV Video Production (Team of 2)
• Welding
The top three school boards in each contest from each location are eligible to advance to the 2015 Ontario Technological Skills Competition.
Qualifying Technical Committees, consisting of representatives from each participating college and the OTSC Technical Committee Chair, work together to create the scopes, projects and judging criteria for this competition. The same contest projects and judging criteria are used at all seven locations to ensure consistency across the province.
Skills Ontario would like to thank the host colleges listed below for their support and the use of their facilities.
Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology
Confederation College of Applied Arts and Technology
Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology
Georgian College of Applied Arts and Technology
Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology
St. Lawrence College of Applied Arts and Technology
For more information on Qualifying Competitions please contact otsc@skillsontario.com
Join us at the 2015 OTSC, May 4-6, 2015
On Tuesday, May 5, over 2,000 students will compete in 67 skilled trades and technology contests – come watch the action and witness the skills of Ontario youth! Explore our Career Exploration Showcase from 9:30 am – 3:00 pm.
Join the OTSC on social media! uUse #OTSC2015 to tell us about your preparations, excitement, highlights of your visit -- we want to hear from you!
Visit http://www.skillsontario.com/skills-competitions to learn more!
OTSC Pin and Medal contest winners announced
Each year, a unique pin and medal are designed and produced for competitors at the OTSC. This contest encourages competitors to use their creativity and design skills and see their ideas come to life. The chosen design will be distributed as the official OTSC 2015 pin and medal given to top competitors.
2015 Pin Design Winner
The 2015 Ontario-themed pin was created by Jessica Nelson who is in 2nd year Graphic Design at St.
Clair College in Windsor.
2015 Medal Design Winner
This year’s Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were designed by Nina Keast, a 2nd year Graphic Design student at St. Clair College in Windsor.
Teacher advisor Mr. Nick Kuipers who can be thanked for his support and in preparing these students.
If you are passionate about the skilled trades and technologies and want students across Ontario to share in your excitement - we want you to be a part of the Ontario Technological Skills Competition. We’re currently looking for facility marshals and judges for our 67 different contest areas, volunteer models for the aesthetics contests, as well as HR volunteers for the Job Interview Integration component of the contests. There are lots of opportunities to inspire youth to pursue careers in skilled trades and technologies, join us!
To learn more about these and other volunteer opportunities please visit www.skillsontario.com/volunteer-positions or contact: Natasha Oliver, Competitions Assistant at noliver@skillsontario.com. If you are interested in becoming an HR volunteer, please contact Ashley for more information at apszeniczny@skillsontario.com.
Young Women’s Initiatives Update
The Young Women’s Conferences, held May 4-5 in conjunction with the OTSC will be booming this year – spots were filled within minutes of registration opening! We are expecting 1500 participants, a huge increase from 230 participants last year! We have also completely revamped the agenda and have moved to Bingemans. We have introduced a new tradeshow component at the conference and now attendees will have more time at the OTSC in the afternoon. We are still looking for Mentors to register for the conferences to inspire and share with young women and girls what it’s like to work as a tradeswoman! Mentors can register at: www.skillsontario.com/ywc.
In addition to the call for Mentors at the Young Women’s Conferences, Mentors are also needed at our Skills Work! For Women Career Exploration Events at various locations across Ontario throughout the year. We have several upcoming events in April – for more information on these events and links to register as a Mentor visit: http://www.skillsontario.com/young-womens-initatives.
They're Back! - Trades and Tech Days:
Being a kid is all about discovery: what you’re good at, what you like and what you don’t. At Skills Ontario, we’ve seen the look on a student’s face when they find their passion.
In partnership with Superior Greenstone District School Board and Superior North Catholic District School Board, we are bringing a part of the Ontario Technological Skills Competition to Northern Ontario. After last year’s successful pilot project, we are looking forward to once again hosting Trades and Tech Day in Geraldton (May 20th) and Marathon (June 4th): it’s a day of hands-on workshops, competitions and presentations for students in grade 8 living in the region, and includes interactive workshops led by industry professionals and take-home projects. This program is a benefit of Affiliation with Skills Ontario. For more information, contact Antonio at astefanile@skillsontario.com.
Sponsor Feature: Lambton College
Lambton College is proud to support Skilled Trades training and programs
Lambton College has always been a leader in Skilled Trades and Technology training. In fact, skilled trades training and apprenticeship programs have been a cornerstone of Lambton College since its inception back in 1964.
Skilled trades play an important role in our economy, and Lambton College is committed to producing knowledgeable graduates who have the education and training needed to succeed in a competitive job market.
At Lambton College, we believe that students learn best by experience. Because many of our programs were some of the first ever offered at the college, we have been able to build a solid educational foundation with a strong focus on hands-on learning through various community partnerships and initiatives.
Along with the leading-edge learning facilities located on campus, students enrolled in programs offered through the College’s Skilled Trades Training Centre also tackle real world challenges through various community projects such as their exclusive Habitat for Humanity home build partnership, completion of a new train station to house the miniature train at Canatara Park, and the construction of a new gazebo at Kenwick on the Lake Park as part of a TVO television program.
As the only post-secondary institution in the heart of Sarnia-Lambton’s booming energy sector, the college is able to deliver relevant, career-focused education through state-of-the-art labs and facilities including the Skilled Trades Training Centre, the Renovation Training House, the Sustainable Smart Home, Alternative Energy Labs and a variety of instrumentation and processing labs.
In addition to highly competitive programs offering apprenticeship training and trade certification, the college also hosts a variety of programs that act as a precursor to apprenticeship training such as Electrical Techniques, Construction Carpentry Techniques / Renovation Technician, Welding Techniques, Mechanical Technician - Industrial Maintenance and Instrumentation & Control Engineering Technology. Other programs in the college’s lineup, such as Culinary Management and Hairstylist, also pave the way for students to apply their learning towards an apprenticeship if they choose.
This July and August, Skills Ontario will be running over 20 week-long camps across Ontario for students entering grade 7 and 8 in September. Throughout each week, campers participate in several interactive activities, workshops and industry tours that focus on skilled trades and technologies, and learn about entrepreneurship and employability skills. In addition to these exciting workshops, campers may attend an assortment of industry tours such as aircraft centres, training centres, and local facilities.
Along with our mainstream camps (for both boys and girls), we offer a variety of camps such as boys-only, girls-only, 
Indigenous focused, and French focused.
Registration for the 2015 Skills Work! Summer Camp is open now! Please visit our camp website at www.skillsontario.com/camp to view dates and locations, and to register for this incredible camp!
