BACKGROUNDER

The Annual Skilled Career Day and Skills Canada Provincial Competition are delivered by Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador, a not-for-profit organization that strives to re-position skilled trades and technologies as first-choice career options for young Canadians. Skills Canada NL (a member of Skills Canada) was established in 1998 as part of an effort to maintain Canada’s international competitiveness amidst a declining Canadian labour force.

Annual Skilled Career Day is Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest event. This day is dedicated to celebrating the work of skilled trades-people and technologists and highlighting the array of rewarding career opportunities available in the skilled trade and technology sectors. Attractions of Annual Skilled Career Day include Try-A-Trade® Demonstrations, a career showcase, guided tours, a partners luncheon and a Skills Work for Women® Conference. This year, Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador is thrilled to partner with Easter Seals NL and host its first Abilympic Competition.

The most prominent event of Annual Skilled Career Day is the Skills Canada Provincial Competition. Bringing youth into a competitive spotlight demonstrates the complexity and talent involved in skilled careers. Over 200 regional finalists from across Newfoundland and Labrador (including students at intermediate, secondary and post-secondary levels as well as apprentices) gather in St. John’s to compete in 34 competition areas. Contestants vie for medals of gold, silver and bronze, with gold-medal winners forming Team Newfoundland and Labrador and going on to represent the province at the Skills Canada National Competition (to be held in Quebec City, June 2-3).

Annual Skilled Career Day closes with an Awards Ceremony where business and industry leaders address competition participants and the day’s top performers receive their medals. The 2011 ceremony will take place on a specially-designed wheelchair-accessible stage. This stage represents the partnership of various stakeholders and the importance of inclusion at Skills Canada Competitions. The structure will be built as part of the College of the North Atlantic’s Service Learning program. The carpentry class at the Clarenville Campus will construct the stage using designs created by Justin Mercer, an architectural design student at the Ridge Road Campus who, coincidentally, is a competitor in this year’s Abilympic Competition.

Many Annual Skilled Career Day participants and competitors see great professional success and personal growth thanks to their experiences with Skills Canada. The Annual Skilled Career Day exposes hundreds of young people to the wide range of career options available in skilled trades and technology and encourages informed consideration of these paths when making career choices. The competitive platform of the Skills Canada Provincial Competition presents a constructive and celebratory venue which inspires students and apprentices to continue the tradition of excellence in the fields of skilled trades and technology. One student’s reflection on the Skills Canada Competition experience appropriately sums up the value and influence of this program:

"This experience has changed me. Since I've returned from the competition, I feel a lot better about myself and my work performance."

Try-A-Trade® Demonstrations

Professional trades-people and technologists welcome guests to experience their crafts at the Try-A-Trade® Demonstrations in the workshops of the College of the North Atlantic Prince Philip Drive Campus. This hands-on experience provides a tangible understanding of the work of skilled trades-people and technologists. In many cases, participants have acknowledged that Try-A-Trade® Demonstrations gave them their first opportunity to handle such equipment and illuminated an otherwise unfamiliar activity.

Career Showcase

On Annual Skilled Career Day, the gymnasium at the Prince Philip Drive Campus is an exhibition space showcasing champions of the Skills Movement from industrial, educational and governmental bodies. These representatives offer Annual Skilled Career Day participants the chance to interact with local trade and technology leaders and learn more about the opportunities and support available for these careers in our communities.

Guided Tours

The College of the North Atlantic Prince Philip Drive Campus is the main venue for Annual Skilled Career Day events. With so much to take in on this very energetic day, guided tours offer guests and participants an organized view of all activities taking place on campus. To schedule a guided tour, call 709-739-4172.

Partners Luncheon

Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador sincerely appreciates the assistance of its supporters. The Partners Luncheon allows active participants in the Skills Movement to come together on this significant day and celebrate each other’s efforts in promoting careers in skilled trades and technologies.

Skills Work for Women® Conference

Skills Work for Women Conferences encourage school-aged females to consider careers in male-dominated trades and technologies. Through hands-on Try-A-Trade® demonstrations and discussions with female mentors, these conferences teach young women about the non-traditional job opportunities available to them. Skills Work for Women® Conferences have been offered across the province since 2001 and happen as part of Annual Skilled Career Day as well as throughout the school year.

Abilympic Competition

Following the leadership of Skills Canada Nova Scotia and their formation of Abilympics Canada, Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador will host its first Abilympic Competition in partnership with Easter Seals Newfoundland and Labrador. An Abilympic Competition in photography for competitors ranging from 18 to 30 years of age will take place as part of the Skills Canada Provincial Competition on Annual Skilled Career Day 2011. The incorporation of an Abilympic Competition into Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador programming highlights the importance of inclusion at all Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador events. The development of a custom-designed wheelchair-accessible stage for the Skills Canada Provincial Competition underscores Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador’s commitment to universal accessibility at its event sites.