Administrator elected to Skills Canada board
12/15/2003 9:47:20 AM
December 15, 2003 – John Oates is an Associate District Administrator at College of the North Atlantic’s (CNA) Ridge Road campus in St. John’s. Like many CNA employees, John volunteers his time with organizations inside and outside of work.
One such external organization is Skills Canada. The association’s Canada Skills Competitions have been taking place throughout Canada for the past nine years. Many of CNA’s students (and hundreds of other secondary and post-secondary students throughout Canada) take part in the yearly competitions provincially, nationally, and internationally.
Oates has served on the provincial branch – Skills Canada Newfoundland and Labrador – since November of 2002, and at this year’s Annual General Meeting in September, was elected to the position of Vice President. He is pleased to be on the executive, and plans to pursue his keen interest in the promotion and overall marketing of skilled careers to the province’s youth.
“I feel that is it important to help young people develop skills in technologies and trades,” says Oates.
“By helping them (through Skills Canada) to understand through practical means why a particular career would be their best choice, we are helping them explore and develop opportunities to have a say in their careers, to make a good income, and to be happy in their decisions.”
He says Skills Canada and its competitions does this by promoting the excellence of Canada’s skilled workforce, their educators, and learning institutions, while giving competing students the opportunity to network with industry and other schools.
Just this year, CNA students won gold in 16 of the 17 categories in the 6th Annual Provincial Skill Competition in May 2003. Altogether, they brought home 30 medals. Eight students went on to win seven medals in the national Skills Canada Competition in May 2003, and a team from CNA – Team Newfoundland and Labrador – went to the 37th World Skills Competition in St. Gallen, Switzerland in June 2003.
Oates claims that CNA’s involvement with Skills Canada is extremely valuable and can be traced to the guiding principles of the Skills Canada movement.
“The principals and purpose of Skills Canada mesh very well with those of College of the North Atlantic,” he says.
“I feel that by working together, both organizations will be better able to achieve their individual goals and successfully promote the skilled career agenda.”
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Skills Canada is a national, not-for-profit organization that works with employers, educators, labour groups, and governments to reposition trade and technical careers as a first choice career option for Canadian youth. For more information on Skills Canada, visit their website: http://www.skillscanada.com/en/.
For more information contact:
Stephen Lee
Communications Manager
(709) 643-7929
or
Tanya Alexander
Public Information Officer
(709) 643-7928