Shayna McDonald

shayna mcdonald

Manufacturing Engineering Technician – Automation (Industrial Mechanic Millwright), Graduated 2018

Competed in 2018 Skills Ontario Competition, placed 4th in Industrial Mechanic Millwright category.

"After I graduated from high school, I attended the University of Guelph to study mechanical engineering. After two months, I realized that engineering was not the right fit for me. I wanted to be involved in the building aspects of projects as the one who was getting dirty and turning the wrenches. I withdrew from my program and spent the rest of the year working part-time. I also did a lot of research into the skilled trades.

Initially, I didn't really know what program I wanted to take. There wasn't one specific trade that I wanted to go to school for. One day, I stumbled across the Manufactoring Engineering Technician - Automation (Industrial Mechanic Millwright) program at Mohawk and discovered I could learn a little bit about a lot of different trades. Perfect - exactly what I was looking for and, as another plus, there was a co-op option.

Fast forward three years - after being accepted into the program, having completed two co-op terms with Dofasco, and successfully completing my last three semesters, I was looking forward to graduation. I had heard about Skills Ontario and thought to myself, "There is no way I could compete at Skills Competitions, I wasn't good enough to do that kind of thing." Putting aside my self-doubt, I signed up to compete in Skills Ontario, representing Mohawk College in the Industrial Mechanic Millwright category.

After hearing the extent of what is involved in Skills Ontario Competitions, I started to feel nervous about my decision to compete. Fortunately, I had great support from my hydraulics teacher and shop teacher at the time, Chris Miccucci and Richard Dupp respectively, who answered my questions and helped my prepare for the competition.

The day of the competition, I was so nervous but I knew I had knowledge and skills I could rely on. There were moments that felt chaotic and stressful, but at the end of it, I had a really great time. In total, there were 14 of us who competed. I didn't think I was going to place in the top 10 so it was a huge surprise when it was announced I had placed fourth overall! I was really proud of myself and the experience really helped grow my self-confidence.

Skills Ontario is a such a great opportunity for students to apply what they have learned in the classroom and put it to use in a real-life situation. The competition gave me and opportunity to show potential future employers the skills I had to bring to the table. I believe that participating in Skills Ontario helped me to secure my full-time position at Dofasco.

To anyone who is looking to improve on their skills, I would recommend participating in a Skills Ontario competition. For me, taking part in the competition gave me the confidence in knowing that I can work under pressure in a way that I didn't think I could. So, rather that viewing it as a competition, if you look at it more as a learning experience, the benefits can be huge."