An article in the Calgary Herald discusses the upcoming WorldSkills Competition and the contribution of its chairman, Guy Mallabone. Mallabone says, “There are a lot of young people out there who like to work with their hands or in the arts.” The event, with a budget of $55 million (Canadian) is hosted in part by SAIT Polytechnic, of which Mallabone is vice-president of external relations.

Mallabone is passionate about the skilled trades and about the need to change some societal perceptions so that young people in the skilled trades do not “feel like they’re second class.”

Mallabone tells a personal story: “In my daughter’s Grade 9 class, the school pulled together the parents and the principal spoke to us. She spoke about considering a career after high school and to carefully choose your courses. And she said, ‘As you prepare for your university journey’ and I stood up and said, ‘Do you mean post-secondary journey?’ and she was embarrassed and said, ‘of course,’ but the word being used was university. Our society can’t sustain that elitist outlook.”

You can read more about Mallabone and WorldSkills Calgary.