Skills ON is a non-profit organization with a mandate of increasing exposure and awareness of the Skilled Trades to students from Grades 4 to Post-Secondary. They partner with industry professionals to provide workshops, lessons, training and a Provincial-Level competition in over 100 Contest Categories.
For the purposes of the DDSB and Skills ON we participate in 8 Elementary Contests including:
VEX Robotics, Animation, Construction, Tech Design and Green Energy.
“Skills gives exposure to the possibilities of different career paths that are available. Ones that are unique to each individual student; including careers they might not have been aware of. It also allows for them to take pride in skill sets that they have, just like they take pride in their ability to participate in a sport or a given art form.” -Organizer
“Participating alongside your peers can show where your skill set is in relation to others. The value this brings to the skilled trades overall is immense. Getting more feedback on my work from contest judges allowed me to improve my skills.” -Student
“Students get to test their skills acquired through the curriculum on real-world assignments in an industry environment using real equipment. In addition, students are able to practice for many hours to prepare for Skills Ontario, which enhances their hands-on skills.” -Teacher
In early 2023 we launched the DDSB's first ever hybrid Contest model.
Teachers registered in December to participate in their classrooms leading up to the March Break. Teachers submitted videos of their best Contest entries to the respective judging panels.
From there teams were selected to compete at an in-person event at the Tribute Centre in Oshawa on April 12th. This day-long competition mirrored the Provincial level Contests in style.
The top performing teams at this competition were invited to represent the DDSB at the Provincial Skills ON event on May 1st!
The DDSB won 5 medals at the Provincial Contests in 2023!!!
Total Registrations In-Class Contests:
8188 Students - 330 Contests - 62 Schools
Construction: 1508 Students - 64 Contests
Green Energy: 629 Students - 26 Contests
Tech 7/8: 1156 Students - 46 Contests
Tech 4/6: 1110 Students - 45 Contests
Animation 7/8: 939 Students - 36 Contests
Animation 4/6: 1163 Students - 48 Contests
VEX 7/8: 854 Students - 35 Contests
VEX 4/6: 941 Students - 36 Contests
Regional Competition In-Person:
360 Students - 90 Contests - 43 Schools
Construction: 84 Students - 21 Schools
Green Energy: 48 Students - 12 Schools
Tech 7/8: 60 Students -15 Schools
Tech 4/6: 52 Students - 13 Schools
Animation 7/8: 24 Students - 6 Schools
Animation 4/6: 36 Students - 9 Schools
VEX 7/8: 32 Students - 8 Schools
VEX 4/6: 24 Students - 6 Schools