Alberta commits $4 million to send students to WorldSkills 2009
Skills Road Show to promote occupations now and for years to come
Edmonton... Thousands of Alberta students will have an opportunity to explore trades and technology occupations and learn from the best in the world, thanks to $4 million in provincial funding that will send Grade 9 and 10 students to the WorldSkills competition being held in Calgary next September.
WorldSkills competitions promote and display skilled trades and technology occupations to youth. It will be the largest event to take place in Calgary since the 1988 Olympics.
“The WorldSkills competition will allow our students to see how the skills they learn in school are applied in trade and technology occupations,” said Minister of Education Dave Hancock. “Alberta’s new economy will require a workforce with sound technical training, so we need to start inspiring students now to pursue advanced studies and careers in the trades and technical professions, and an exciting and international event like WorldSkills does just that.”
Nearly 1,000 competitors, including high school students, post-secondary students and apprentices, and 150,000 visitors are expected to take part in the event. Students who watch the competition will have the opportunity to learn about the many available career options, see the various skills needed for different occupations, and test their own skills in some of the demonstrations.
“I’m delighted that Alberta will be hosting the WorldSkills competition in Calgary in 2009 and doubly pleased with the assistance the government is providing,” said Heather Welwood, president of the Alberta School Boards’ Association. “This funding will help Alberta students gain maximum exposure to this prestigious international event – further enhancing their abilities to participate in the global economy.”
Funding is available for all public, Catholic, Francophone, and charter schools that choose to send their students to the event to cover the costs of transporting Grade 9 and 10 students, as well as their supervisors or chaperones, to the event during the competition days – September 2-5, 2009.
“We are delighted with this announcement by our partners in government,” said Guy Mallabone, chair of WorldSkills Calgary 2009. “With this generous contribution by the Government of Alberta, students who are looking at their career options will be introduced to a multitude of career paths and opportunities.”
The province is also providing a $391,000 grant to WorldSkills Calgary 2009 for a Skills Road Show.
Leading up to WorldSkills, the new Skills Road Show will appear at community events and schools throughout Alberta. It will include presentations and displays, as well as hands-on activities that give students a chance to experience different trade occupations. The road show vehicle and trailer will be transferred to Skills Canada Alberta after the WorldSkills competition to continue the promotion of trades and technologies.
“Similar to the Olympics, which excites people to pursue excellence, skills competitions motivate students to develop their personal interests into career opportunities,” said Chris Browton, executive director of Skills Canada Alberta. “Hosting the 40th WorldSkills Competition in Alberta is a tremendous opportunity to inspire students to pursue post-secondary studies and careers in the trades and technologies.”
Skills Canada Alberta’s 2008 Regional, Provincial and Canadian Skills Competitions were the stepping stones for students to become part of Team Canada and compete in WorldSkills Calgary 2009. The next Provincial Skills Competition is scheduled for May 13-14, 2009 in Edmonton and will feature 550 competitors in 40 events.
The WorldSkills event will happen at the same time extensive changes are being made to the Career and Technology Studies (CTS) program of studies in Alberta schools. The revised program of studies will be implemented over the next three years in both English and French. Fostering better connections between learning and work is an important part of Alberta’s strategy to improve high school completion rates. For more information about WorldSkills visit www.education.alberta.ca and scroll down to the Spotlight section. To learn about CTS, scroll to the section For Teachers and click on ‘Programs of Study’ and ‘CTS’.
