Skills to pay the bills

Windsor Park

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This article was published 07/05/2025 (209 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A number of students from the Louis Riel Arts and Technology Centre excelled recently at the 2025 Skills Manitoba Competition.

The 27th annual Skills Manitoba Competition was held on April 10 at Red River College Polytech, and gave participating students the chance to showcase their skills and talents in a hands-on environment.

According to skillsmanitoba.ca, more than 500 students from across the province, who were overseen by more than 300 volunteers representing education, industry and labour, took part in the one-day event, which consisted of many different categories. Next up is the Skills Canada National Competition, which will be held on May 29 and 30 in Regina, Sask.

Six of the seven participating students from the Windsor Park-based school placed in the esthetics and hairstyling categories. In the esthetics category, Taylor Brewster won a gold medal, Mya Gower won a silver (nail enhancements and nail art), and Musskan Sidhu a bronze (nail enhancements and nail art).

Gower and Sidhu were both trained by Shauna Kowlessar for the nail technology competition, while Brewster was trained by Lucile Laurin.

In the hairstyling category, Alex Gendron won a beginner gold medal (trained by Miriam Giesbrecht), Madison Kalyniuk won a post-secondary bronze medal (trained by Vanhphen Souvannarath), and Sara Stripling, who took her course at LRATC, took home post-secondary silver medal apprentice honours. It was her third time competing in the competition, and her third medal.

Brewster will now go on to represent Manitoba at the national competition.

“We’ve done really well,” said Laurin, an esthetics teacher. “The group is very dedicated, and has put in the time, and done lots of research. Lots of practice goes into it, too.”

“Whether the students win on the day or not, it’s all about being winners going in…

Laurin explained the day of the Skills Manitoba was quite an undertaking — students from other schools competed at the same time in other categories, such as fashion technology and robotics, and they set up their working stations themselves prior to the start of the competition.

“Whether the students win on the day or not, it’s all about being winners going in,” Laurin said, noting the different exercises the students undergo at the Skills Manitoba Competition are timed, adding to the excitement.

“The national competition is two long, full days of competition. When you get there, you’re going into it blind. It’s just like the Olympics.”

Brewster, 18, a former Glenlawn Collegiate student, said she was nervous going into the competition, but was confident she had the knowledge base to succeed, not least because she’d practiced lots.

And whether it was a specialized facial, makeup artistry, or a scalp treatment — Brewster executed her skills on the day effectively. She said recently one of her life goals is to become an esthetician.

“Competing was fun. While I was competing, I wasn’t thinking about anyone else. My goal was to try and stay focused,” she said.