Thursday, May 19, Calgary, Alberta - Chelsea Proctor, Administrative Information Management (AIM) student, wasn’t sure what she was getting into when her instructor asked her to compete at the Provincial Skills Competition.

“I didn’t know about the Skills Canada competitions until then,” says Proctor. “I was honoured to be selected because I hadn’t done anything like this before. It was nice to know that I was being recognized for my hard work.”

Her hard work certainly paid off – Proctor won the silver medal in the information technology software applications category at the Provincial Skills Competition. She competed against five other post-secondary students from across the province and was tested in four Microsoft Office programs – Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint. One of her opponents was fellow AIM classmate Mary Head, who went on to win gold in the competition.

For Head, sharing the experience with Proctor was icing on the cake. 

"Chelsea and I did it together - start to finish. I couldn't have done it without her and I wouldn't have wanted to. Having her by my side on the podium made the entire experience of worth it. The hours of training and stress finally paid off and we could be proud of what we had accomplished together. We were a team, and we were either going to win together or lose together."

AIM instructor and skills coach, Janine Violini, says Proctor and Head were ecstatic when the results were announced.

“To watch Mary and Chelsea accept their medals together was so rewarding. They trained together and helped each other prepare for the competition. As an instructor, it was so inspiring to see two of our students be recognized for their hard work.”

Violini and her fellow AIM instructors worked with Proctor and Head every day after class to prepare for the competition.

Proctor was proud to represent SAIT at the competition.

“I am thankful for this opportunity because it has given me some direction in regards to where I want my life and career to go.”

Overall, SAIT students received a total of 33 medals at Provincials. Fifteen SAIT students will now join Team Alberta to compete at the Canadian National Skills Competition, held at the beginning of June in Quebec City.

SAIT Polytechnic is one of Canada’s most exciting destinations for post-secondary education, offering more than 100 career programs that position people for success in technology, trades and business. A leader in innovation, SAIT also collaborates with industry on applied research and delivers corporate training worldwide. SAIT is a member of Polytechnics Canada and one of Alberta’s Top 50 Employers for 2011.

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