Lakeland College's third year heavy equipment technician apprentice, James Wilson, won gold at the Skills Alberta Provincial Competition in Edmonton over the two-day event on May 8 and 9 and will now represent the province at Skills Canada National Competition in Quebec City on May 30 and 31.
At Skills Alberta, Wilson competed against apprentices from across the province in the heavy vehicle technology category. He demonstrated skills learned at Lakeland including troubleshooting and diagnosing hydraulic, electrical, steering and engine systems, driveline and suspension concerns, as well as completing an inspection on a garbage truck.
"Competing at Skills was awesome," Wilson says. "My instructors were there with me, talking to me, helping me out from the sidelines with any questions I had. It was awesome, finding out I had won gold. It wasn't something I expected. It just gave me a sense of pride, like I've accomplished something. My parents and friends were proud of me, and then I came back to Lakeland and everyone congratulated me. It just makes me happy and makes me proud of myself."
Wilson's journey to the Provincial Skills Competition was made possible with financial support from Cenovus Energy, as well as support from his employer, MPI Oilfield out of Bonnyville, Alta., and Lakeland's School of Trades and Technology. Now, part of Team Alberta, James is fully funded by Skills Alberta to compete in Quebec City.
"I want to thank Lakeland College for giving me the opportunity and supporting me," Wilson says. "Same with MPI Oilfield for allowing me to go and Cenovus Energy for supporting the financial side of it."
Lakeland also sent four other apprentices to compete at Skills Alberta:
- Ava Formanski, automobile technology
- Logan Peters, carpentry
- Joel St. Laurent, carpentry
- Ethan Brousseau, heavy vehicle technology
"We are incredibly proud of all our apprentices who represented Lakeland College at Skills Alberta," says Dave King, dean of trades and technology at Lakeland College. "They always do a phenomenal job of demonstrating the advantage of apprenticeship education in our Trades Centre. Congratulations to James on placing first in your category and we can't wait to cheer you on at the Skills Canada National Competition!"
