Mohawk College's skilled trades and technology programs were well represented on the national stage last week, with one student capturing gold and the highest score out of all Ontario competitors at the Skills Canada National Competition in Regina.
Following impressive results from the Skills Ontario competition earlier in May, five Mohawk College skilled trades students competed as part of Team Ontario against college students from across the country. Overall, more than 500 students and apprentices from across Canada competed for the national championship in over 40 skill areas.
Noah Rittenhouse, a Mohawk College apprenticeship student, took home gold in the CNC Machinist competition.
The first-year student credits much of his success to the support and coaching of Professor Adam Taylor and his work experience at GVL Machining & Fabrication. However, it took a bit of convincing on Adam's part to get Noah to join Mohawk's team. "He [identified] me as a well-equipped CNC machinist to compete at Skills Ontario. After weeks of pestering me to compete, I finally relented," shares Noah. "Good thing too, I suppose." Definitely a good thing.
Adam saw Noah's potential almost immediately. "I knew that Noah had the right personality, maturity and composure to be able to represent Mohawk well at Skills Ontario," he says. "And that this [would be] a real opportunity to expand his knowledge and gain valuable experience that one day would help further himself in his trade."
Noah came to the competition with a lot of on-the-job experience and although he was nervous leading up to each competition his talent was on full display. "Noah was able to demonstrate his ability, and he set a very high bar for other competitors," says Adam. "When Noah took the gold medal, I have to admit that it was very hard for me to keep my composure. I was probably the loudest person in the entire building."
Not only did Noah come first in his category, but he also received the best weighted score out of all Ontario competitors in the national competition. As a result, he also took home the RBC Best of Region Award, which included another medal and a $1,500 prize. He received the award at the Skills Canada National Competition's Closing Ceremonies on Saturday.
In addition to the incomparable support from his professor, Noah credits a few others with helping him achieve his success. Ethan McCallum, a Skills champion, who, after Noah's Skills Ontario win, provided him with much-needed information on what the Skills Canada competition would entail. His bosses Gerry and Jacob VanLangeveld, at GVL Machining & Fabrication and his wife Laura, who even flew out to Regina to cheer him on.
Congratulations to everyone involved in the 2025 Skills Ontario and Skills Canada competitions.
For any students considering getting involved in Skills competitions next year, Noah shares that outside of the stress of the competition, "it was a rewarding experience to be amongst other machinists and tradespeople. Learning more about the various trades and meeting people was a lot of fun."
