Students representing Fanshawe's Faculty of Science, Trades and Technology won gold, silver and bronze medals at the 2023 Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) held May 25 and 26 at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg.
"Congratulations to our students and the faculty who support their success," says Stephen Patterson, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Trades and Technology. "It's great to see our students excel on the national and provincial stage."
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Joseph Bickell, a level 2 student in the Auto Body and Collision Damage Repairer Apprenticeship program (mentored by Mike Kennelly), won gold in the Autobody Repair category.
Luke Bos, a third-year student in the Architectural Technology program (mentored by Gary Gerard), won silver in the Auto CAD / Architecture category.
Jake Debus, a level 1 student in the Sheet Metal Apprentice program (mentored by Jesse Hamilton), won bronze in the Sheet Metal category.
In total, Fanshawe was represented by the five students who won gold at the Skills Ontario Competition in early May.
Bickell, who currently works at Straight Line Collision in Centrilia and is on pace to complete his apprenticeship in 2024, says it was “an awesome experience” to represent the College and Team Ontario at the national competition.
“I want to thank my instructors James Shaw, Andrew Wonnacott and Mike Kennelly for the opportunity to compete and the hours they invested to prepare me for the
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competition. Thanks also to my boss Don Stuckless and co-workers from Straight Line Collision for teaching me all they know about the trade,” he says.
“Without the support of these people, I would never of had this level of success.”
According to Mike Kennelly, Bickell’s training regimen consisted of weekly days off work to come to the College for equipment training, procedural review and technique refinement.
The Autobody Repair competition required students to remove and replace a car door skin and side structure, measure structural damage, weld multiple technical vehicle joints and repair an aluminum panel.
“Joe’s modern vehicle repair knowledge and keen eye for detail gave him the edge over his competition in both the provincial and national skills competitions,” says Kennelly.
Approximately 550 students and apprentices from across the country vied for the title of national champion in over 45 competitions across six skilled trade and technology sectors, including: transportation, construction, manufacturing and engineering and information technology.