(L-R) Stuart Cullum, RDP President; Terry Welch, RDP Electrician Instructor and Skills Coach; Tristen Hatto, Electrician apprentice; Dayton Playford, Welding apprentice; Lee Yasinski, RDP Welding Instructor and Skills Coach; Chris Browton, Executive Director of Skills Canada Alberta. (RDP)

By Alessia Proietti

Building on Excellence

Red Deer Polytechnic apprentices win big at provincial and national competitions

Dec 16, 2022 | 11:57 AM

A group of Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) apprentices were recognized on Thursday at the Building on Excellence Skills Canada event for their high-level competencies demonstrated at Skills Canada competitions.

Skills Canada is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of careers in technology and skilled trades across the nation and has chapters in every province and territory.

In 2022, RDP apprentices earned three gold, two silver, and three bronze medals at Skills Canada Alberta and two gold medals at Skills Canada National competitions.

“With high-quality learning opportunities that are provided by dedicated Red Deer Polytechnic faculty and staff, our apprentices equaled their highest annual medal total in the history of the institution at the 2022 Skills Canada competitions,” said Joel Gingrich, Dean for RDP’s School of Education and Trades. “We were thrilled to gather as a Polytechnic community with alumni, employers and industry partners to celebrate their achievements.”

The institution’s Dayton Playford for Welding and Tristen Hatto for Electrical Installations also represented Team Canada at WorldSkills International competitions. WorldSkills, of which Skills Canada is a member, is an organization that hosts conferences and competitions to promote the benefits of and need for skilled trades professionals around the world.

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The four day national competition for Playford consisted of creating various types of welds that were x-rayed, destructive tested, and rated on appearance. He also performed multiple welding processes over eight hours to create mild steel pressure vessels which were then hydro-tested. Finally, he completed structural and stainless steel projects. He says the competitions have provided him with a broader skillset for the industry

“I’ve been able to take on different types of work and new projects to diversify our business,” he said.

Hatto described his three day national competition as challenging since they had to use European materials not typically found in Canada. There was also a programming aspect for building automation and motor controls. He said the thing he learned the most was the need for attention to detail.

“The training and intensity and the knowledge that you get from these competitions is just unbelievable and highly recommended if you’re an apprentice and you have the opportunity to compete in one of these competitions to take it because it’s amazing and you never know where it will take you,” he said, still in his work clothes from earlier that day.

The intensity of the competition is what provides the apprentices with a sense of accomplishment and pushing them beyond their boundaries, says Chris Browton, Executive Director for Skills Canada Alberta. For example, in the cabinet making competition, participants make a piece of furniture in four days when the process would typically take a month, he said.

“It’s a very accelerated process,” he said. “What’s great for employers in particular is we take their superstars and we make them super superstars.”

“We polish them, in all sense of the word, all the different facets of themselves, and then we send them back out in the industry.”

Browton added with the new leadership at the Polytechnic, he believes this is just the beginning for the success of its apprentices.

At the last two Skills competitions, RDP apprentices earned 10 medals each year and achieved a total of 73 medals at Skills Canada Alberta and Skills Canada National competitions since 2003, which Gingrich believes is the most medals earned per capita by any institution in the province.

“Today’s event not only celebrated the accomplishments of Red Deer Polytechnic Apprentices, but it provided an opportunity for us to thank our partners for their contributions to the success of our learners,” said Stuart Cullum, RDP President. “Each of the student’s employers, along with Skills Canada Alberta, play integral roles in the training of RDP Apprentices by providing opportunities and resources that complement the Polytechnic’s programming. These collaborations are vital in developing skilled trades workers and fulfilling labour market demands that contribute greatly to the economic prosperity of Alberta.”

More information about Red Deer Polytechnic’s 16 Apprenticeship programs is available online.

The next Skills Canada Alberta competition for post-secondary students will be held at the Edmonton EXPO Centre May 3-4, 2023.

A summary of the achievements by RDP apprentices at Skills competitions in 2022 include:

Gold medalists at Skills Canada National:

• Tristen Hatto, Electrical Installations: Team Canada at WorldSkills International competition in Salzburg, Austria, finishing 19th among global competitors.
• Dayton Playford, Welding: Team Canada at WorldSkills International competition in Cleveland, Ohio, placing seventh and earning a Medallion of Excellence.

Gold medalists at Skills Canada Alberta

• Tristen Hatto, Electrical Installations
• Jake Ewashen, Sprinkler & Fire Protection Services
• Dayton Playford, Welding

Silver medalists at Skills Canada Alberta

• Andrew Jacob, Carpentry
• Brendan Hermary, Sprinkler & Fire Protection Systems

Bronze medalists at Skills Canada Alberta

• Hunter Baldwin, Carpentry
• Wyatt Richardson, Sprinkler & Fire Protection Systems
• Ben Rainforth, Welding