High School students competed in the automobile tech category at the South East Alberta Regional Skills Competition at Medicine Hat College on Friday. Ross Lavigne/CHAT News

By Jesse Gill

SMILE SUNDAYS

Skills competition creating opportunity for South East Alberta students

Apr 13, 2025 | 6:00 AM

The South East Alberta Regional Skills Competition took place on Friday at Medicine Hat College for its twentieth year.

Over 80 high school students from across the region competed in automobile tech, baking, cabinet making, carpentry, culinary arts, hairstyling, video production, and welding.

With a showcase of the skills and talent of these students.

The top two competitors in each category will move on to a provincial competition in Edmonton in early May, with an opportunity to represent Alberta at the national level.

Regional skills coordinator Jessica Hirsekorn said the event opens up a tremendous amount of doors for the students.

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“Because as we know, that cycle that starts, I can’t get a job because I have no experience, I have no experience because I can’t get a job. This helps break that down because you are getting experience,” Hirsekorn said.

“We also have employers that come on, and what they’re doing is they’re looking at future potential employees. They’re looking at their work ethic, they’re looking at hand skills, which is vital in trades,” she added.

“We’re really fortunate because we do work so well with an industry and the trades, that they feel free to come on campus and be able to just walk around and take in all of the events.”

Hirsekorn said that everybody should partake if they’re able to.

“As I’ve been told from other past competitors, it does change lives,” Hirsekorn said.

“It opens up huge amounts of scopes, regionally, provincially, nationally, and even internationally.”

Hirsekorn would also like to see dual credit programs offered to students, drive them to start partaking in skills.

“Because when they are done school then, they’ve just got so much more opportunity for one, employment, for having credit in their high school careers, for accessing RAP [Registered Apprenticeship Program],” Hirsekorn said.

“It all just comes full circle, and will just make these guys so much more desirable to employers.”

Jason These, a Grade 12 student from Brooks Composite High School competed in the event for his first time, tasked with building a lemonade stand in the carpentry competition.

He said over the last year he has really put a focus towards carpentry, and trained for his favourite aspect of the event.

“”Probably the competition, actually having to go one-on-one with a guy and see who’s kind of better, show off your skills a little bit, so that’s the pretty fun part,” These said.

Morgan Blair, the Dean of Trades and Technology at Medicine Hat College said it’s a great way for high school students to see what it’s like to attend college and use the shops, show off their skills, and experience what they could be doing in the future if they decide to go to school there.

“I really like seeing the students’ intent and working in the shops,” Blair said.

“You can feel the intensity of what they’re doing and how focused they are,” she added.

“You can see them thinking through problems, solving problems, and you can see their pride in what they’re doing.”