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STEPHEN DINGWALL of
Calgary competed in
the Industrial Control
arena. He was drawn to
the trades because he
desired something that
challenged him both
mentally and physically.
He is currently working as
a fourth-year electrician.
DANIEL REID of
Cochrane, Alta.,
competed in the
Information Network
Cabling arena, and
is currently studying
telecommunications
systems at the
Southern Alberta
Institute of
Technology (SAIT).
CRAIG SPADY of
Red Deer, Alta.,
represented Canada
in the Electrical
competition. He’s
enjoying his career
as a journeyman
electrician, and
has achieved his
interprovincial Red
Seal designation.
VISIT EBMag’s Videos page
at www.ebmag.com
(click Videos) to find EBMag’s
Carolyn Yates’ WorldSkills
report, on location in Calgary.
WORLDSKILLS QUICK FACTS
• 1000 competitors
• 38 Canadian competitors
• 51 countries
• 45 skills competitions
• 5000 international experts,
delegates and judges
• 30 languages
• Over 861,000 sf of
competition space
• 150,000 students and
public spectators
“We want young people to
understand that these are
good career choices.”
IS YOUR CLASSROOM AN
environment. Improved recycling and disposal programs—both
for the competition grounds and the
competitions—were a priority, and one that World-
Skills organizers hope to carry into the future.
“We maintain a green environment for the event.
We have a lot of pieces for the event and we want
them to have a life afterward. For some of our events,
the project that competitors are building are going to
be given out to different charities in Calgary, so that
we don’t have this great chance to build these projects
[only to] throw them in a landfill,” Pardell explains.
“Our organization has taken a stand to ensure that
this competition comes off [as environmental and
sustainable] and, as the host organizing committee,
we’ve also tied in with WorldSkills International (the
parent group) to ensure that they understand that by
doing things a little differently [...] we have this ability
to create an environmental or a green competition,
and build on that from year to year,” says Pardell.
He hopes that individuals—both in and out of
the skilled trades—will learn by example. “Just
because it’s a trade-related field doesn’t mean you
can’t consider it a green one as well.”
London 2011
The next WorldSkills will be held in 2011 in
London, England, and organizers expect it to surpass
the already-high standard set by the Calgary
competition.
“The best thing to do is look at what’s happened
in Calgary. They’ve raised the bar significantly and
we want to raise it further still. We want to build on
many of the things that have happened in Calgary
and make it even better,” says Aidan Jones, executive
director for WorldSkills London 2011.
Similar to this past event, attracting and educating
young students will continue to be a priority. The
event will also continue to have Ambassador Booths
at each competition, where visitors can meet with
practitioners of a trade and learn more about it.
“We expect a lot of schools to come through and
learn [...] about vocational skills and vocational
career choices,” Pardell adds.
“I think the event itself, in terms of the competition,
is very important because it highlights the
excellence in skills and really sets benchmarks for
quality,” adds Jones. “But I think, apart from the
competition, it’s also really important to use the
event as a way of getting messages across about the
value of a trade as an alternative to going to university
and just choosing an academic path.”
Hubbell Canada LP
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www. mag.com • OCTOBER 2009 • 17