Durham College (DC) students competed against students from across the province to demonstrate their abilities in their fields at the three-day 2024 Skills Ontario Competition in Toronto.

Thousands of high school and college students participated in this event, including more than 20 DC students who represented a wide range of disciplines, from coding and photography to auto service and restaurant service. In each category, students brought all of their skills and experience from DC to the different challenges set before them.

In addition to DC taking home more than twice as many medals as last year – jumping from four medals in 2023 to 10 in 2024 – one student, Alexander Harley who was awarded gold in Auto Service Technology, will be moving on to Skills Canada Nationals Competition in Quebec.

Sydney Rack won a bronze medal in the Horticultural/Landscape category and said winning was a blur. “I honestly didn’t even grasp that we placed until later that night,” Rack said. “It’s definitely strange because we all hope to win but I don’t know how many of us expected it.”

Photography silver-medal winner, Brooke Warner, attributed her learning at Durham College to her win. “I definitely think there were a lot of different aspects of the competition and my ability to think on my feet and the things I learned from my product class helped me succeed and I felt very prepared for it.”

Students are now looking towards their futures and how this award and training for the competition will help them in their future careers.

“Events like Skills Ontario are incredible opportunities for our students to move beyond the classroom and put their knowledge and skills to the test in a fun and competitive environment,” said Dr. Jean Choi, Vice President, Academic. “I am proud of all of the competitors and appreciate the time and support our faculty and staff put into ensuring our programs are preparing students for success in their fields.”

The full list of DC winners includes:
• Alexander Hartley – Gold, Auto Service Technology
• Hanukshan Murugesu Pillai – Gold, Restaurant Service
• Nicholas Simard -Gold, Metal Fabricator – Fitting (Welding)
• Ryan Boldy – Gold, Coding
• Brooke Warner – Silver, Photography
• John France – Silver, Coding
• Megan Terry – Silver, Heating Systems Technician
• Sophia Lourenco – Silver, Aesthetics
• Destry Young – Bronze, Auto Service Technology
• Sydney Rack and Payton Archer – Bronze, Horticultural / Landscape (Team of 2)