School Field Trips & Skill City
Registration for the a field trip to the 2026 Provincial Skills Canada Competition will open in the fall.
The 34th Provincial Skills Canada Competition is the best career exploration field trip in the province, where students can:
- Watch an inspiring video at Launch Pad for an inside look at where a career in the trades or technologies can take you and get informed about what to expect on the competition floor.
- Witness Alberta’s best high school and post-secondary students compete in over 45 skilled trade and technology events.
- Try a variety of hands on activities and discover your skills and interests at the Try-A-Trades® and Try-A-Skills.
- Learn about career and education options by engaging with industry and education exhibitors in Skill City.
ALL teachers wanting to bring their class on a field trip MUST register via the Skills Portal. Schools must be a Skills School in order to create a username and password.
Due to EXPO building capacity numbers, registration is restricted to a certain number of spots available. Registration is on a first come, first serve basis.
Bus Subsidy Information
We provide a bus subsidy to help offset the costs of attending the Provincial Skills Canada Competition. The subsidy can be applied for after you attend the field trip. It is important that you come through Launch Pad to confirm your attendance in order to qualify for the bus subsidy. New this year, Subsidy amounts are now based on the total kilometers of your total trip.
Please note that to complete the submission, you will need to send us a copy of your transportation receipts (bus invoice, gas receipt, mileage form, etc.). Each approved subsidy will receive a cheque for a maximum of the complete traveled kilometer allowance per bus based on your transportation costs. Cheques will be made out to the school.
- 0-99 KMS = $100/bus
- 100-250 KMS = $200/bus
- 251-300 KMS – $300/bus
- Over 3000 KMS = $400/bus
How to get the best field trip experience
We highly recommend teachers register ASAP to get your optimal time slot. Arrival times are 9:00, 9:30, 10:00, 10:30, 11:00, 11:30, 12:00 and 12:30. We appreciate your efforts to help us provide a safe and positive experience for visitors by arriving at your scheduled time with your registered number of students. If you arrive outside of your scheduled time, we may ask you to wait as there are building capacity numbers we must adhere to.
A week prior to the event, we will send teachers an e-mail with:
- An event floorplan – print and share this ahead of time with your students. It is helpful if they want to identify some areas of interest. The activities with a Try-A-Trade® symbol will have an interactive, hands-on activity. These get very busy and long line ups may occur.
- Bus drop-off/pick-up map – please adhere to this route. We have designed it to ensure a safe arrival for students. There will be an attendant outside to help identify where to pull up/drop-off/pick-up and to greet you.
You will be greeted by a Skills Canada Alberta representative at the bus drop off zone, we will then have you safely and quickly unload your bus and make your way to your first mandatory stop – LAUNCH PAD!
At Launch Pad, please be sure to check-in with Skills Canada Alberta representative who will officially register you as attending the field trip. Check-in is essential to securing that your bus subsidy is guaranteed. After watching a quick 3 minute video, teachers can lead students to the main halls to see the competition floor, Try-A-Trades® and Skills City booths.
Skills Canada Alberta does not offer lunch for field trips. We highly recommend that students bring a packed lunch. There are spaces to eat along the EXPO concourse and green spaces outside. EXPO offers a small food court, but we are not responsible for the long wait lines that will occur here.
Please expect a LOT of noise and huge crowds. We do our best to implement designated arrival times to avoid huge crowds. If there are students with sensory issues, we do provide a special space if needed.
For School Field Trip questions, please contact Alycia at alyciap@skillsalberta.com
Looking to register as an exhibitor at Skill City? Apply here!