Sheridan College 3rd year Apprentice Daniel van Veen representing Team Ontario in the Post-Secondary Precision Machining Competition at Skills Canada in Winnipeg this past week came home with the Bronze medal in one of the closest competitions in years.
Daniel van Veen had two challenges over the two tough days of competition, each day brought a new challenge on a different machine tool, day one was on the Milling Machine and day two on the Lathe, both challenges were 4 hours in length, the tolerances these competitors are asked to hold on manual machines is (one thousandth of an inch) +/- .001.
Advisor to Daniel van Veen, Sheridan’s own Michael Reid said the competition was one of the best he had seen in many years. He said, “Daniel gave it his all, his preparation was meticulous and thorough, and the difference between gold, silver and bronze was marginal, but given the skill level of the medal winners it was always going to be close”. Michael observed over the two days that the three medal winners separated themselves from the pack, and it came down to who made the fewest mistakes at the end of a hard fought competition.
The Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC) is the only national, multi-trade and technology competition for students and apprentices in the country. Every year, more than 500 young people from all regions of Canada come to SCNC to participate in over 40 skilled trade and technology competitions. By providing a forum where Canadian youth can compete at the national level, SCNC provides hands-on work experience related to skilled trade and technology careers.
Through these competitions, Skills/Compétences Canada also seeks to raise awareness about skilled trade and technology sectors to Canadian youth and their influencers. Daniel won Gold at Skills Ontario last month in order to represent Team Ontario at SCNC Winnipeg.
Congratulations Daniel van Veen!