A Lethbridge College student will compete in an international heavy vehicle technician competition in france next year. Walter Loedman is going into his fourth year apprenticing at the college and has already won gold medals at Skills Alberta and Skills Canada events. He will go to the WorldSkills Competition in 2024 in Lyon France.
“I like the pressure, it makes you really try for it,” Loedeman said after returning from his win at Skills Canada in Winnipeg. “The first day I was nervous, but once I got into it and knew what to expect I could put my mind to it and ignore everything happening around me. It was a challenge, but a lot of fun.”
Skills Canada aims to equip young minds with trades skills that help students and apprentices compete successfully in a drastically changing world market. Students compete provincially in one of 45 trade and technology areas and the gold medal winners move on to nationals where they compete to qualify for the world stage.
The WorldSkills Competition happens every two years and is considered the largest and most influential skills competition in the world.
“It is very exciting to see hard work and dedication be rewarded,” said Sheldon Anderson, the college’s Dean for the Centre for Trades. “It’s a great achievement to be named best in the country. It goes to show that through hard work and a willingness to learn you can be very successful.”
The college says winning the Skills competitions gives students and apprentices an upper hand when applying for jobs by proving their talents.