When a School Board decides to participate in the Provincial Vocational Olympiads in a specific trade program, it must select two candidates from its Centres. When more than two students are interested, the School Board must organize a local competition, a series of challenges (both theoretical and practical) which will determine who will represent them for the next step.
For the Automobile Mechanics program, the West Island Career Centre selected four candidates (from a total of 18 applicants!) who were asked to compete in four specific tasks related to the trade: Parts Identification, Brake Maintenance, Timing Belt Installation and Electrical Troubleshooting. During the tasks, both quality of work and task time were evaluated.
Teachers and staff worked hard to make the event a success. Much planning and organization is needed to prepare the shop and the workstations for the challenges to be ready and fair for the candidates.
The event was held on December 12, 2019, in an open-shop setting where visitors could observe the four candidates in action. It is one thing to work on a car in a shop, but it is another when people walk around, observe closely, take pictures, chat and even encourage them! The setup provided the opportunity for the students to get the real-life experience they will be facing during the Regional event (to be held in Verdun at the beginning of 2020), and (hopefully!) the Provincial event (in Quebec City, May 6 to 9, 2020).
Congratulations to Brandon Charest, Marc-Antoine Pomerleau, and the two winners (and representatives of the Lester B. Pearson School Board at the Regional event), Nabil Saad and Aaron Badan.
