The incredible impact that Skills participation is having on young learners is evidenced by two members of Humber Polytechnic community who have stayed connected with the program despite their time as competitors having ended.
Skills Ontario held its 2025 competition May 5 to May 7 at the Toronto Congress Centre. The annual competition gives elementary, secondary and post-secondary students an opportunity to show off the skills they've learned as they compete against their peers from across the province in complex challenges designed to showcase their expertise in various sectors. Post-secondary students take part in contests including Baking, Cabinetmaking, Horticulture and Landscape, Welding and many others.
Paxton Coghlin, who's enrolled in the Electromechanical Engineering Technology program, earned a Medallion for Excellence at the WorldSkills Competition in 2024 and a gold medal in the Mechatronics Team of 2 division at Skills Canada. He's serving as a coach and advisor for the Humber team of Grant Maddock and Cole Hunter. Those two won gold in the Mechatronics Team of Two at Skills Canada last year and are competing again this year with the goal of advancing to WorldSkills.
Asked why he wanted to help the Humber team, Coghlin said he had great support from the Humber community when he was competing and wanted to pay it forward.
Coghlin's time in Skills helped his career as he received job offers before he had even graduated from the program and that the exposure and success he had at Skills has been a nice addition to his resume.
Emma Kilgannon, who graduated from Humber's Baking and Pastry Arts Management program, was serving as a judge at the Baking competition. Kilgannon won bronze in the Pâtisserie and Confectionery division at the WorldSkills Competition 2022 and is a past gold winner at Skills Canada.
Kilgannon has stayed connected with Skills but this was her first time serving as a judge. She joked it was a lot more stressful being a competitor but added she was having an amazing time doing her duties as judge.
"The competitors are so happy and confident in themselves and that's really great to see," said Kilgannon. "Being here is really taking me back to my Skills days."
"I say all the time that Skills was one of the best things to happen to me in my life," she continued. "I've had so many opportunities - from speaking panels to job offers - happen because of my participation in Skills. I'm so grateful for that."
Mike Taylor, professor, Architecture & Sustainability at Humber, is serving as an advisor along with fellow professors Jason Pinhay and Michael Guido to three Humber students competing in the Architectural Technology and Design division. It's his first time getting involved with Skills.
"We've been building skills throughout the semester and we want them to have fun, do the best they can and be proud of themselves for competing," said Taylor.
Nasrat Ghaibi, a third-year Architectural Technology student, wanted to grow personally and professionally and that's why he decided to take part in Skills. He's embracing the challenge and hoping for feedback that he can use to improve.
"Competing is great for students because it tests our knowledge and skills while we're under pressure - it means we need to push our boundaries and see how far we can go as a student," said Ghaibi.
Matthew Redwood, a recently graduated Animation - 3D student, is competing for the third time in the 3D Digital Game Art category at Skills Ontario. Redwood previously won bronze and gold at Skills Ontario and finished fourth at Skills Canada.
He also received the Award of Excellence at Skills Ontario last year.
"I really enjoy sitting down at a computer, with nothing else distracting me, and getting to work," he said.
Redwood says he's constantly refining his workflow based on what did and didn't work in previous years to make it more efficient. Time management is particularly important.
"Skills is really a great thing to be a part of and I find it really gets the adrenaline flowing during the competition," said Redwood. "It's a fun way to see where your skills are at."
Diego Mojica Alfaro is set to graduate from the Electrical Engineering Technician - Control Systems program during Spring Convocation and is competing in the Automation & Control category. It's his first experience with Skills and he was looking forward to making friends and gaining valuable experience for his future career.
Mojica Alfaro said participating has led to friendships and connections, which were particularly valuable to a young international student far from his home in El Salvador.
Humber students won six gold, six silver and three bronze medals at the Skills Ontario competition.
More information can be found by visiting the Skills Ontario website.
