Hundreds of high school students put their expertise to the test in the Skills Ontario Qualifying Competition on April 11. The high-stakes, hands-on event took place in seven locations across Ontario, including Humber Polytechnic, propelling the winners to the provincial stage.
Competitors in welding, carpentry, culinary arts and TV-video production raced against the clock to prove they have what it takes to stand out, advance, and take the next step towards a future in skilled trades and technology careers.
At Humber, there were 70 competitors in total: eight in carpentry, 12 in culinary arts, 14 in welding, and 36 in TV/Radio. According to the Skills Ontario website, a qualifying competition is required for these four fields because they are in such high demand.
Kate Belair, competitions manager at Skills Ontario, said that the winners at provincials go on to nationals. Then the winners at nationals qualify to join WorldSkills Team Canada, and will participate in the 48th WorldSkills Competition, which is set for September 2026 in Shanghai, China. The WorldSkills Competition takes place every two years.
“Then it's in Kyoto, Japan in 2028,” Belair said. “We always say it's kind of like the Olympics.”
Guelph-Humber alum Ariel Deutschmann, communications and social media manager at Skills Ontario, said it was exciting to be a part of this event.
“It is amazing to see the passion and dedication that (the students) bring. There's nerves, but there's a whole lot of excitement, you can tell.”
At the culinary arts competition, chicken chasseur and apple tarte tatin were on the menu.
Chef Daniel Gonzalez, who was one of the culinary arts judges, said that timing is of utmost importance. The students must have everything prepared by 2:30 pm.
Nikki Mirtorabi, her son Arvin Naziri and his best friend Kian Rufizadeh came out to support her other son, Novin Naziri, a Grade 10 student at Our Lady Queen of the World Catholic Academy, in Richmond Hill. The group showed their support by wearing custom aprons featuring a photograph of Novin.
“He has been practising for months!” Mirtorabi said.
Bryan and Lisa Bailey and their younger son, Javon, a grade nine student, were there to support their elder son, Jayden Bailey, who attends St. Brother André Catholic High School in Markham.
Unlike his elder brother, Javon said that culinary arts were not of interest to him.
“I’m more into carpentry and woodworking,” he said.
Radio and Television Broadcasting students, Niusha Rezaei, Nhat Ha and Harold Calimag, were on hand to judge the 18 video entries, along with Professor Karen Young and Michael Simmons, IT Specialist.
TV-video competitors in groups of two, had to produce a 30-second video about what they would do if they discovered it was the end of the world.
John Trentos, a Humber alum, and design, engineering and construction teacher at Richmond Green Secondary School, said it felt great to be there to support his carpentry student, Matthew.
“This is such a great experience for a grade 12 student to compete in a building project that is relevant and follows the Swift building code in Ontario,” he said. “This is just a great experience for exploring the workforce.”
Chala Dincoy, who was there to support her son Logan Flajnik, said he is still deciding whether he wants to choose skilled trades as a career. He's a quarterback for his football team at Lakeshore Collegiate Institute.
Dincoy said that AI is replacing a lot of her clients' businesses and employees. She said she is concerned about the potential impact of AI on the trades.
“So, I was asking all of the teachers, do you see (carpentry) being replaced by AI?" Dincoy said. "And a lot of them said, this will be the last to be replaced by AI.”
A Dec. 1, 2025, news release from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) highlights the need for skilled workers in Canada and the government’s commitment to training and “doubling the pace of housing construction, from 250,000 a year to 500,000.” It estimates that by 2033 there will be more than 410,000 construction jobs available.
The Canadian Occupational Projection System has estimated that there will be a “moderate risk of labour shortage,” of cooks over the period of 2024 to 2033.
The report said that job openings for cooks are expected to total more than 41,000, during this time period.
Deutschmann said the trades can be rewarding career pathways for a lot of young people if they have the interest or the desire to pursue them.
“Our mission is to change lives and inspire leaders through skilled trades and technologies,” she said. “That's been our mission since 1989.”
