A competitor in the Precision Machining competition carefully checks his work using a caliper supplied by Mitutoyo.
VANCOUVERThomas Skinner along with the Haas Factory Outlet, a division of the company, was the equipment supplier for the recent Skills Canada National Competition.
The event was held June 5-8 in Vancouver, B.C. and brought together the countrys top skilled trade and technology students, who competed for gold, silver and bronze in various trade categories.
Thomas Skinner supplied the CNC milling and turning centres that were used for the CNC Machining competitions and included: two ST-20s: CNC 2-axis lathes and two VF-2s: CNC vertical machining centres).
“We are very proud of our sponsorship role with Skills Canada, and are excited to be a part of moulding the next generation of skilled trade workers in the metalworking industry,” says Paul Krainer, Owner and President of Thomas Skinner.
The machines were equipped with tooling supplied by Sandvik and students were provided with precision measuring tools provided by Mitutoyo both supplier partners of Thomas Skinner.
The company also provided the manual lathes and mills (Advance and First) that were used in the Precision Machining competitions. Thomas Skinner was also a supplier for the BC Skills and Alberta Skills Competitions that were held in April and May.
“As the need for skilled workers continues to rise, I believe it is the responsibility of the business community to get involved and promote education of trade and technology. We take that commitment very seriously and are proud to support this great event, says Krainer.
We would like to congratulate all of the competitors in this years competition and look forward to being a proud sponsor of the Skills Canada National Competition for many years to come.”
“Best of luck to those competing at the World Skills competition in Leipzig, Germany July 2-7, 2013”.
Udo Jahn, the general manager of Modern Engineering, a Vancouver-area machining operation, joined Greg Schroer, a machine tool sales representative from Thomas Skinner, as at the competition.
The event was of special interest to Jahn as Modern, together with the Delta School District have developed a program to provide CNC training and employment to interested high school students.
“I was tired of listening to fellow owners in the machine shop industry complaining about lack of skilled labour, and yes, I was even tired of complaining myself. The program has been going amazing, we get to train these guys [or girls] from the ground up,” says Jahn.
“It’s a win-win-win. Modern engineering gains eager, new employees that are excited to learn the trade and expand their CNC and machinist skills.”
The winners of the CNC Machining and Precision Machining Competitions were awarded scholarships from the SME from funds provided by the Gene Haas Foundation, which was formed in 1999 to fund the needs of the local community.
In addition, the foundation provides scholarship funds to Community Colleges and Vocational Schools for students entering technical training programs, especially machinist-based certificate and degree programs.
The following is a list of the competitors who finished at the top in their events at the competition:
Precision Machining Post Secondary Jason McElrea, AB GOLD, Michael Mills, ON SILVER, Leighton Dyck, MB BRONZE
Precision Machining Secondary Austin Demorest, SK GOLD , Jonathan Betz, MB SILVER , Conley Wurban, AB BRONZE
CNC Machining Post Secondary Collin McDougall, MB GOLD , Jared Rossiter, ON SILVER , Shane Crerar, SK BRONZE
For a complete list of the results visit: www.skillscanada.com
www.thomasskinner.com
