St. Albert-area students twisted braids, melted metal, and rolled dough this week as they sought to become provincial champions at Alberta’s annual Skills competition.
The 2025 Skills Canada Alberta provincial competition ran May 7–8 at the Edmonton Expo Centre. The competition saw some 750 high-school and post-secondary students compete in 45 trades-related events. Another 10,000 students toured the competition venue to learn more about the trades.
Skills Canada competitions give students a chance to put their skills to the test and take pride in their performances, said Skills Canada Alberta spokesperson Victoria Anderson. Top performers earn medals, scholarships, and, in some events, a spot on Team Alberta and change to complete at the Skills Canada national competition this May 29–30 in Regina, Sask.
Local competitors
More than a dozen Bellerose Composite, Paul Kane, St. Albert Catholic High, and Sturgeon Composite students competed at provincials this week in baking, cabinetry, robotics, workplace safety, and other fields. Some first had to qualify at regional events. Competitors had to complete complex trades-related tasks under a strict time limit before hundreds of guests and judges, often with some last-minute obstacles cast in their path.
Sturgeon Composite likely fielded the biggest team in the greater St. Albert region with 11 members, including St. Albert resident and Grade 12 student Alyssa House, Morinville resident and Grade 11 student Aaliyah Young, and Sturgeon County resident and Grade 12 student Parker Richards.
House competed in the senior hairstyling event, having won gold in hairstyling at last year’s provincials. She had about 11.5 hours to complete four hairstyles, three of which had secret requirements revealed just prior to the competition.
“While I’m doing the competition, I kind of zone out into my own space,” she said, which makes it easy to ignore the distractions around her.
House said competitors typically get about five minutes to plan each haircut, many of which come with last-minute requests from the judges.
“I just think what would look best on the person or what I would like,” she said, adding that she often carves designs into the sides of her haircuts.
Young competed in the junior hairstyling event, during which students had to wow the judges with their best braided hairstyles. She planned to produce a five-braided affair— four to the sides and a big, thick one in the middle — augmented with sparkly gems. The hairdo takes about 1.5 hours to create, and binds almost every hair on her mannequin’s head into twisted ropes.
“It probably wouldn’t be all that comfortable,” she acknowledged.
Richards competed in the welding event fresh off his gold-medal win at regionals. He said he practiced about three hours a day for three weeks to prepare for provincials. His event saw competitors weld together a small grain elevator and an abstract shape from metal plates over 12 hours.
“I enjoy doing it,” he said of welding, which he picked up last year.
“There’s kind of an art to it.”
Sturgeon Composite cosmetology teacher Assunta Runco said Skills competitions challenge students to take their classroom lessons to the next level, and teach them the flexibility they need in the real world.
“For me, it’s about building their toolkit, building their confidence more than anything. It’s just a way for the students to grow.”
Visit skillsalberta.com for the results of this year’s competition.
