Just last week, the Skills Canada National Competition took place at the RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg, MB. That’s over 2000 km away from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) Burnaby campus! Two students from the BCIT Joinery Program, Avery Bell and Alvin (Koko) Relleve, traveled the distance to compete in the national competition and came back victorious.
2017 was a big year for Skills Canada due to the sheer number of competitors: over 550 registered secondary and post-secondary students. The competition hosts 43 different contest areas to test students in various trade-related skills such as welding, cooking, public speaking, robotics, to name a few.
Among registered competitors were two of our own from the BCIT Joinery Department. Both students competed in the Cabinetmaking skills competition, which restricted students to a maximum of 13 hours to complete their project for submission.
Skills and knowledge to be tested included working properties of wood and use of other materials such as veneer, fibreboard, particleboard, plywood, adhesives, abrasives, hardware, metal fastenings; construction of cabinetry product; compliance with safety regulations and use of safety equipment; and interpretation of technical drawings in metric.
Avery Bell is a 17-year-old high school student from Quesnel, currently attending first year Joinery at BCIT School of Construction and the Environment. Through his exemplary efforts, he was awarded a Gold medal in the secondary school section of cabinetmaking. Alvin (Koko) Relleve, a third year Joinery apprentice, was also called on stage in recognition for his efforts. He was awarded a Silver medal for the post-secondary portion of the cabinetmaking contest.
The success of these students can be attributed to the talent of the students along with the instructional quality and dedication produced by the Joinery Department.
Learn more about the School of Construction and the Environment and the Joinery Programs and BCIT