Sheridan welcomes over 2,400 future learners to campus for 2025 Peel Skills Competition

Sheridan’s Magna Skilled Trades Centre was buzzing with energy on April 15 and 16 as more than 2,400 elementary school students from the Peel District School Board (PDSB) gathered for the 21st annual Peel Skills Competition.  
 
During the two-day event, made possible with funding from Access Programs in Ontario (OPAIP) and Skills Ontario, students from Grades 4 to 8 showcased their talents in a variety of skilled trades and technology disciplines, including robotics, construction, green energy, TV/video production, coding, healthcare, and more.  
 
"The level of talent and enthusiasm we saw from these young learners over the two days at the Magna Skilled Trades Centre was absolutely inspiring," said Elizabeth Fabbroni, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Technology. "We’re honoured to have played a role in supporting these future innovators on their educational journeys."

This year marked a significant milestone as the competition moved out of its typical high school setting for the first time in its history. With their usual venues unavailable, organizers from PDSB turned to Sheridan, drawn by the college’s state-of-the-art facilities, labs and classrooms.  
 
“Typically, the Skills Competition has been hosted at one of our high schools, but when that wasn’t an option, we reached out to Sheridan, and they graciously opened their doors to us,” explained Tamer Kamel, Vice-Principal at PDSB. “Their facilities are perfect for the event, and we’re so grateful for this partnership. We’re hopeful this is just the beginning of many more years of collaboration.”  
 
The event offered an opportunity to highlight Sheridan’s ongoing commitment to community education and engagement. Faculty, students and staff from Sheridan were on hand throughout the competition, offering encouragement and behind-the-scenes support to help ensure the event’s success, including guided campus tours for PDSB students and staff.  
 
“Watching the students walk around the Sheridan campus and take in the space was amazing,” says Clayton Ellis, Instructional Coordinator for Science and Technology K-12 at PDSB. “We place a strong emphasis on hands-on learning (at PDSB), but the environment itself plays a huge role. When students walk into a space like Sheridan’s and see the labs and equipment, even if they’re not yet using the oscilloscopes or the more complex tools, it sparks something. They start asking, ‘what is this?’ And just getting them to that point of curiosity is incredibly powerful.”  
 
According to MaryKate Grey, Manager of Outreach Programs at Sheridan, helping to spark that initial interest in technology and the skilled trades is what made hosting the competition for the first time so worthwhile.

"By hosting high-profile events focused on skilled trades, STEM and innovation, Sheridan reinforces its reputation as a forward-thinking institution committed to real-world, applied learning,” says Grey. “Events like these, where thousands of young students gain firsthand exposure to Sheridan’s facilities, faculty, and educational environment, often create a positive early interaction that can spark long-term interest and influence their future postsecondary choices, planting the seed for future enrolment."  
 
Learn more about studying in the skilled trades at Sheridan. 

Top photo: Two PDSB students try their hand at TV/video production. 

Bottom photo: Sheridan and PDSB staff partnered together for the 2025 Skills Competition, hosted at Sheridan's Magna Skilled Trades Centre.