Putting their trades skills to the test, nearly 150 elementary and high school students were at the School of Trades and Technology on March 4 competing in the Skills Canada Cariboo Regional finals.

Competing in different trades and areas of interest, the students in grades 6-12 raced against the clock to finish tasks given them that day. Demonstrating their know-how, they also leaned on intangible skills the likes of project planning, time management, being calm under pressure, troubleshooting and keeping safety in mind.

The category winners earned spots into the provincial final April 13 in Abbotsford. And from there, to the Canadian championship, June 5-8, in Moncton, NB.

The day also featured Try-a-Trade, which was an opportunity to try different tools and wear safety equipment all in a supervised environment.

Though the day was mostly about elementary and high school students, a few TRU trades apprentices were given the opportunity to practice for Canada Skills BC. Unlike the younger ages, they do not have a regional championship and instead go directly to the BC final. But like the younger ages, they too had to complete challenges within a deadline. Mario Bruno was among them and for the third-year plumbing apprentice, Friday was a great reminder of how far he has come since finishing second at last year’s BC final. In 2015 he needed the entire six hours to complete his project and on Friday, used a little more than three hours to complete a drainage, waste and venting system.

“I should do well because this time (in practice) I didn’t have to stop and think about how to do the project,” said Bruno, who credits his speed this time around to another year of experience and to working for local company Kodiak Mechanical. “I looked at the instructions and just did it.”

TRU construction student Mitch practices for the Skills Canada BC competition.