Grace Under Pressure

Name:  Adrian Schut & Benjamin Church

Hometown:  Almonte, Ontario

Contest Area:  Mobile Robotics

How many Grade 11 students from Almonte, Ontario can you think of that will be travelling across the Atlantic to compete against the best the world has to offer?  We know two.

Adrian Schut and Benjamin Church are two of 35 young people that will be representing Canada at the 2011 World Skills Competition.  To get there they won Gold at both the Ontario Technological Skills Competition and the Canadian Skills Competition.

The Mobile Robotics contest involves knowledge of fundamental principles, automation and electrical/electronic technologies.  Using that knowledge, the competitors are required to construct and program a robot to undertake a variety of tasks.  Success in this contest requires a lot of practice and confidence.  To ensure they are ready for the challenge, Adrian and Benjamin have been spending up to 3 hours training every day.  They anticipate on increasing that to 5 – 8 hours a day as the competition comes closer.

After all the hard work to prepare for the World Skills Competition, and experience gained from the OTSC and CSC, they are confident in their abilities to perform on the world stage.  “The Ontario Technological Skills Competition has given me the confidence to perform under pressure and in a timed environment,” says Adrian.  “This will also help me in any career I pursue.”  Benjamin adds that through the OTSC he has become comfortable performing in front of an audience and gained experience competing as part of a team.

Although both have different career interests after high school, they are unified in one thing.  The advice they would give to other young people considering becoming involved in Skills Canada – Ontario’s programs is to give it a try.  “The OTSC is an awesome way to experience the thrill of the trades.”