Each year participants from high schools and post-secondary institutions head to Edmonton to display their abilities in the provincial Skills Canada Alberta competition.
Manager of Communications Victoria Anderson points out that this year’s event is in Alberta’s Capital City on May 6th and 7th. Anderson says “our goal is for them to just get out and something new. We have ten thousand students that come a tour at the event – at the provincial Skills Canada competition. They can try a trade. They can try welding, they can try sheet metal work, they can try culinary and see if it is something that sparks an interest in them. We just want to celebrate the young people that are super talented in those areas as well, and just kind of elevate those education and career paths as first choice options.”
Anderson notes the students will be competing in areas ranging from carpentry to millwright, and baking to photography for the chance to head to the 2026 nationals in Toronto at the end of May (28th-29th). She says “yeah so we have 45 skill areas that are represented either in high school or post secondary – some across both high school and post secondary levels. I think we have something like 140 unique schools.”
Olds College will be the lone team participating on March 28th and 29th at an event on campus at the Landscape Pavilion. Anderson says “we actually have a stand alone mock competition in the Landscape/Horticulture competition that is being held at Olds College. Mostly because Olds College is just kind of uniquely positioned as the only institute that offers that program in Alberta. So it is just the best place to host it.”
Anderson mentions that they have always had a super, super close relationship with Olds College. She says “I mean Olds College has sort of always been involved as obviously one of the major institutes in Alberta. So they send competitors for other areas as well over the years. They can send competitors in welding, they can send competitors in lots of different contest areas and we’ve been fortunate that they’ve represented us on our board of directors.”
