YukonU celebrates 2025 Skills Canada National Competition competitors

Three Yukon University students are in Regina this week to compete in the 2025 Skills Canada National Competition.

Kenneth Latham (known on campus as Marshall) is competing for Welding, Christopher Phillips for Carpentry, and Joshua Willoughby for Heavy Vehicle Technology. All three are showing off the skilled trades they study at YukonU.

The competitors earned their National Competitor designation at the Yukon Territorial Skills Competition held on April 27 at YukonU.

Also travelling to Regina is Shane Clennett, who will be representing the Yukon at the Skills for Success Youth Assembly—a companion event providing recommendations on improving the activities of Skills Canada. Shane is currently completing his culinary apprenticeship with Yukon First Nation Education Directorate and runs the kitchen at the Individual Learning Centre, along with two other cooks. Shane will soon join the YukonU community as he pursues Food Safe courses and assists in the cafeteria during his apprenticeship.

“The Territorials—it’s so fun! You get to compete against your friends and colleagues up at the university each year,” said Shane. “Nationals is definitely a lot more stressful, especially coming up to it. But as soon as you walk through those orientation doors, you just feel a rush of inspiration and you feel like you’re going to explode from over excitement.”

The national competition will be a place for YukonU students to demonstrate and expand on their abilities.

“It definitely helps in the way of your technical skills and problem solving, as it gives you a chance to put those skills to the test in a controlled environment, and with a bunch of professionals watching you,” Shane added.

Doug McRae is the Heavy Equipment Technician senior instructor and acting Chair of YukonU’s School of Trades. He’s also the president of Skills Canada Yukon. "Being a medalist and qualifying to represent the Yukon and YukonU at Skills Canada National Competition demonstrates the commitment these students have to their education and career paths. Partnerships like the one between YukonU and Skills Canada Yukon enhance the ability of Yukoners to achieve excellence in their life journeys."

The national competition runs May 29 and 30 in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Good luck to the YukonU student competitors!

To learn more about skilled trades training at YukonU, visit https://www.yukonu.ca/school/trades

Photos by Erik Pinkerton