Architectural technology, millwrighting students qualify for Skills Canada national championships

Sheridan students Thinh Luu and Christian Hills have qualified for the upcoming Skills Canada national championships after winning gold medals at last week's Skills Ontario Competition in Toronto.

Luu (pictured), who is graduating from the Architectural Technology advanced diploma program this spring, finished first in Skills Ontario's Architectural Technology and Design event that tested abilities in Computer Aided Design Drafting (CADD), Building Information Model (BIM) and sketching techniques. In addition to performing design and drawing tasks, competitors also applied key themes in architecture and engineering, and demonstrated knowledge of regulatory building codes and construction assemblies.

"This result is a wonderful conclusion to my time at Sheridan, and a reflection of how well I have been educated and mentored by my professors. I'm thankful to them, my close friends, the college, and my parents who have always supported me," Luu said. "Skills Ontario allowed me to connect with many talented individuals and test the knowledge I've gained. I know Skills Canada will have many talented students competing, but I will try my best to enjoy the process, have fun and make even more new connections along the way."

Hills (Industrial Mechanic Millwright - Apprenticeship) won Skills Ontario's Industrial Mechanic Millwright (IMM) event that assessed skills in mechanical component alignment, stainless steel tube bending, fluid power pneumatics and bearing installation. He won a bronze medal in the same event at last year's Skills Ontario competition, continuing Sheridan's tradition of success in IMM that includes a silver in 2024 and gold and bronze in 2019.

"Christian has been an outstanding student throughout his scholastic career at Sheridan," said IMM professor Craig Brazil. "It was wonderful to see his training and efforts in preparing for this year's competition come to fruition by reaching the top step on the podium."

Three other Sheridan students — Neelkumar Patel (Cloud Computing), Adrian Jaroszewski (IT Network Systems Administration) and Giuliana Bozzo (Photography) — earned silver medals last week at Skills Ontario, which attracted more than 1,500 competitors and 37,000 attendees to the Toronto Congress Centre.

"These students demonstrated not only technical skill but also resilience, professionalism, teamwork and passion for their craft," said Dr. Elizabeth Fabbroni, Dean of Sheridan's Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology (FAST). "While we are proud of our medallists, Skills Ontario is about far more than medals. It's an opportunity for students to test their skills in real-world competitive environments, connect with industry and gain confidence in their abilities. It's also a reminder of how important these fields are to Ontario's future, spotlighting the next generation of talent while challenging outdated perceptions about these careers."

The Skills Canada National Competition will take place May 28-29 at Enercare Centre in Toronto.

Sheridan, which hosted the Industrial Mechanics event of the 2022 WorldSkills Competition Special Edition, recently expanded its IMM programming with the addition of a two-year Industrial Millwright, Mechanical Technician diploma. The college also offers several options for architectural education, including a two-year Architecture Technician - Sustainable Design diploma, three-year Architectural Technology – Sustainable Design advanced diploma. and a new two-year Construction Engineering Technician – Sustainability diploma.