Apprentices from Red Deer Polytechnic brought home seven medals from the 2026 Skills Canada Alberta Competition, which took place May 6-7 at the Edmonton EXPO Centre. Three students secured gold medals, qualifying them to represent the school at the national event in Toronto later this month.
The gold medalists are Ty McCartney in carpentry, Nathan Brehaut in sprinkler systems installation, and Dane Schmidt in welding. These three apprentices will travel to the 2026 Skills Canada National Competition, set to take place in Toronto on May 28-29.
In addition to the top finishes, other apprentices earned recognition for their skills. Silver medals were awarded to O’Ryan Edmondson for IT network systems administration, Adam Moore for sprinkler systems installation, and Cowyn Godlonton for steamfitting and pipefitting. Timothy Hills also earned a bronze medal in the sprinkler systems installation category.
David Pye, Dean of the School of Trades and Technology at the polytechnic, said the results reflect the importance of hands-on training and strong partnerships with industry leaders. He noted that the school is focused on training graduates who will support the province’s future economic needs and innovation.
These latest wins contribute to a long-standing record for the institution, which has earned 101 medals in provincial, national, and international skills competitions since 2003. As the third-largest provider of skilled trades education in Alberta, the polytechnic currently supports approximately 2,000 apprentices across 17 different programs.
The success at the provincial level comes as the region prepares to meet significant workforce demand. According to the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, Alberta is expected to require 26,000 new journeypersons and 51,000 new apprentices in key trades by the end of 2026 to keep up with industry requirements.
