Studica was very proud and excited to take part in the 20th Annual Skills Canada 2014 National Competition (SCNC). The event was held last week (June 4-7, 2014) in Toronto, ON. SCNC is a multi-trade and technology competition where more than 550 young people from all over Canada participate in over 40 skilled trade and technology contests. The competition is presented by Skills/Compétences Canada and provides hands-on work experiences related to trade and technology careers.  CNW Telbec reports that Canadian Minister Kenney congratulated winners at the event and stressed a strong belief that a career in skilled trades should have as much value and worth as a university degree.

Improving STEM Education at Skills Canada 2014

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are high-demand career fields and rapidly changing every year. Skills/Compétences Canada stated that by 2020, Canada alone will need one million skilled trade workers in these areas. Studica emphasized the practical application and importance of STEM in our presentation, which included two STEM controlled systems tasks. The first task was to create a model “washing machine” that could be controlled with two speeds and two directions of rotation. Students were provided  NI myDAQ, mySTEM™ Project Board along with mySTEM Robotics and Control Systems Kit and LabVIEW to complete the challenge. They were also given the same material to complete the second task, which was creating a sliding gate. Students were supposed to write a program that would detect when something approached the gate and would open the gate and close it when no further presence was detected.

Everyone that participated in this event displayed an active, working knowledge of STEM applications. The purpose of the challenge was to provide students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in the many facets of control system design as well as development and management in response to an assigned scenario. As a team competition, these tasks allowed students to focus on both technical and communication skills that are essential to the workplace.

Our Studica team was honored to be a part of SCNC. Skills/Compétences Canada and the Government of Canada have dedicated themselves to promoting skills development and giving support to organizations that value careers in trades and technology. Studica has been recognized as a part of the education community that invests in today’s youth by supporting STEM programs, which provide students with skills they need to be success in the evolving workplace. Whether it is bringing awareness to educators or hosting another event, we can’t wait until next year.