Skills Canada 2018

Skills Canada 2018

In early June, Julia (who is the Janome District sales Manager for Western Canada) and I had an opportunity to attend Skills Canada 2018 in Edmonton, AB. What exactly is Skills Canada? It is the culminating event to provincial skill competitions held each spring. All kinds of trades and techniques are represented, from auto mechanics to candy making to sewing to landscaping. The event took up 3 sections of the Edmonton Expo Center, and included fully built sections showcasing different skills.

The sewing competition was hands down amazing. Each student was provided with a Janome Pro 4DX Serger and 1600P Sewing Machine. They were challenged to draft and complete a trench coat……in only 2 days! I think most of us would be hard pressed to complete that kind of project with a timeline like that, but these students were amazing. They came from all across Canada, including 6 female competitors and 1 male competitor, from British Columbia to New Brunswick. It was awe inspiring to see the skills, work ethic and professionalism displayed by these students. I took lots of pictures of their finished projects, but not too many during competition as I didn’t want to distract them from their goals. But have a look at the slideshow below to see the details of their projects.

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When we left the event, we didn’t know who the winner was ( this person will represent Canada at the World Skills Competition to be held Russia in 2019. But I am pleased to let you know that Lisa Aernoudts from Quebec won the competition and will hopefully be attending this event.

While the students were competing, we had the pleasure of introducing many school aged students to sewing. Lots of these students had never tried sewing before, so we taught them a simple project that allowed them to practice finger pressing, sewing, and snap setting. They were thrilled to make something their own that they could proudly show off to their family and friends.

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