The Canadian Skills Competition is an Olympic-style competition, which showcases students' technical and leadership skills at the national level. Students from across Canada compete against each other in a variety of skills and trades, including fashion design, baking, graphic design, job interview skills, carpentry and masonry to name a few.

Four Vancouver students placed gold at the Skills BC Competitions and three have advanced to the Canadian Skills Competitions, taking place this week in Toronto, and will represent BC in their contest area.

Patricia Roque and Fiona Siu, both Grade 12 students at Eric Hamber Secondary will be competing in Fashion Design and Graphic Design, respectively, and Rachel Lau, a grade 11 student from Magee, will be competing in the Job Interview category.

"When I first heard my name and school being called out I thought the host had pronounced Magee wrong," says Lau. "And then I realized I was a winner and I thought 'Oh, that's nice!'"

Skills Canada BC in association with Skills Competences Canada and WorldSkills offers a unique opportunity for young people across the Province to experience careers in the skilled trades and applied technologies. Skills Canada BC programs begin in grade 6 and continue throughout the post-secondary levels. A major component of Skills BC programming is the skilled trades & technology competitions.

Skills Canada says that the competitions serve two main purposes. The first is to celebrate and reward students for excellence in their mastery of skilled trade & technology skills in a manner that directly involves industry in evaluating student performance and that keeps training relevant to employers' needs. The second is to create an interactive and engaging environment for the thousands of young people who attend the competitions as spectators.

For Siu it's about dedication and trusting in herself. "It was quite nerve-wracking and stressful throughout the [Provincial] competition but as long as I did my best I knew that it would all be fine in the end. My strategy for Nationals is to practice, practice, practice and to follow all the feedback I've been given," she says.

The VSB wishes the three competitors all the best at the Canadian Skills Competition and congratulates all the students who placed at the provincial level.

Follow @vsbcareered on Twitter for the latest competition results.  

VSB Skills BC Winners:

AUTOMOTIVE SERVICE
Silver 
Justin To-Britannia 

BAKING
Gold
Jennifer Tuley-Windermere 

CAR PAINTING
Silver
Albert Morales-John Oliver 

CULINARY ARTS
Bronze
Bernice Chung-Hamber 

FASHION TECHNOLOGY
Gold
Patricia Roque-Hamber
Silver
Janiece Lofstrom-Hamber/Tupper  

GRAPHIC DESIGN
Gold
Fiona Siu-Hamber 

JOB INTERVIEW
Gold
Rachel Lau-Magee/DT 
Silver
Hanatu Tak-Hamber

PUBLIC SPEAKING
Silver
Zak Vescera-Hamber