Alberta’s WorldSkills London 2011 Competitors Make Us Proud 

Congratulations to Tim Twa, Nigel Renschler, Luke Moore and Sean Donnan for representing Alberta so well at the WorldSkills London 2011 event from October 5th to 8th.  Our “Fierce Four”, as they were fondly referred to as, took home three Medallions of Excellence at the international competition. 

We caught up with two of the “Fierce Four” – Tim and Nigel – to get their take on the event and how the experience was for them.

Nigel, who competed in auto body repair, said the competition was everything he had expected. “I went in knowing I hard to work hard and work quickly so I was prepared,” he said.

For Tim, who competed in the electrical installations event, it was a very rewarding experience. “It was great to look over my project when I was finished and see how all of my training had paid off,” he said. 

The biggest challenge for Nigel was keeping up the pace and getting things done in a short amount of time. For Tim, it was about not getting frustrated if he made a mistake. 

WorldSkills London was Canada's best overall performance for Medallions from any WorldSkills Competition. The team earned 17 medallions, up from 13 at WorldSkills Calgary 2009. They also earned four bronze medals. 

Nigel and Tim describe the competition as an amazing experience that taught them a lot and allowed them to make many new friends.

Nigel, who works at Brennan Auto Body Repair Ltd. in Stettler, finished 5th with a score that put him only 16 points behind the Gold medallist from Japan. “I feel a lot more confident in my work. I look at myself as a professional now,” he said. 

Tim and Nigel were part of the team of 34 Canadians who competed in London event, which included about 1,000 competitors from 51 countries and regions. WorldSkills London was Canada's 11th participation in WorldSkills Competitions, which take place every two years and bring together the world's brightest in Skilled Trades and Technologies.  

Mike Holmes of Canada’s hit TV shows Holmes on Homes and Holmes Inspection also attended the WorldSkills London 2011 event. He and Team Canada visited the Gainsborough Community Primary School just outside of London as part of the One School – One Country program, which allows schools in the host city to have the opportunity for their students to learn about another country's culture, history, language and traditions. One School – One Country also educates young people about the need and importance of skilled trades and technologies, and provides a memorable experience for the WorldSkills Competitors.  

“We are extremely proud of our ‘Fierce Four’ from Alberta,” said Chris Browton, Executive Director of Skills Canada Alberta. “Tim, Nigel, Luke and Sean trained hard and represented our province and our country like true champions, and we know they will continue to make us proud in their careers ahead.”

Luke and Sean enjoyed their visit to London so much they chose to stay and tour around the country after the competition. 

Congratulations again to the four of you and the rest of our Team Canada!

Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the WorldSkills 2013 in Leipzig, Germany. 2012 will be the qualifying year for the competition – so good luck to all of our young Albertans participating in the provincials and nationals this May. You may be representing Canada in 2013!