Vancouver sent four current students and three recent graduates to Moncton, New Brunswick to be part of Team BC at Skills Canada 2016, June 5 to 8. Each of the students had won a provincial gold medal in April to advance to this national competition.

The annual event attracts young career-seekers, employers, educators, and industry associations. The event helps showcase the many opportunities available in the skilled trades and technology sectors. Over 550 secondary and post-secondary students from across Canada competed in more than 40 trade and technology contests.

Coco Yu from Eric Hamber Secondary, who won Silver in Fashion Design, had this advice for next year's competitors: "Always keep a positive attitude and keep pushing yourself to do better. Skills is a long road of training and stress, but you can learn a lot from this experience both in your chosen trade and in life."

Windermere Secondary's Angela Wu, who competed in Secondary School Baking, also won Silver. "When I was making my cake during the final 10 minutes of the competition, I kept reminding myself that I was not here to only represent my school and city but the entire province. Thinking of that and how far I have come during the past couple of months really allowed the adrenaline to kick in."

Chloe Stark, who graduated from Hamber in 2013, won Bronze in Post-Secondary Graphic Design. Others from Vancouver who were part of the BC team were Jack Tredgidgo, from Britannia/Churchill as Secondary Automotive Service Technician; Sophia Cho, from Hamber, in Secondary Graphic Design; Jalyn Franuelas, who graduated from Windermere in 2014, competed in Post- Secondary Baking; and Alexandra Sandoval, who graduated from Van Tech in 2013, competed in Post- Secondary Culinary. Oliver Rantanen, from Killarney, had the honour of representing all of British Columbia at the Essential Skills Youth Forum.

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