By: Christopher Mines
Cody Malloch will represent Algonquin College and Canada at the July 2013 World Skills competition in Leipzig Germany. Malloch is one of 35 Team Canada members taking part in a competition featuring dozens of vocational programs like carpentry and 3-D animation.
Malloch, 21 is a second-year carpentry student and is using his newfound status as inspiration to train. “This makes me feel like I don’t want to let everyone down,” said Malloch. “It makes me want to train harder.”
Malloch competed in the Skills Ontario and Skills Canada competitions twice coming in silver.
WorldSkills International has 50 member countries. The goal is to promote vocational programs for youth and the exchange of technological innovations between countries. Malloch has been coached by Algonquin professors Mike Nauth and Dan Bringham.
“I think Cody has a very good chance,” said Academic chair of Construction Trades and Building Systems Christopher Hahn. Malloch undergoes about 16 hours of training per week with Nauth and Bringham said Hahn.
“He’s a smart kid and he has two excellent coaches who are also very experienced instructors,” said Hahn. Malloch is a strong contender partly due to Algonquin’s faculty said Hahn.
“The college is supporting faculty to coach,” said Hahn. “The college and the entire SA are behind them.”
The differentiator is the quality of teaching and caring that Algonquin offers all of its students said Hahn. Vocational students get exposed to a large number of trades and the Skills competitions are vital because different training models compete.
Every jurisdiction has different ways of teaching. “The Europeans have a solid model with different commitments,” said Hahn. Team Canada will be promoting its model the Red Seal Program. It is a interprovincial program created over 50 years ago so students can earn a Canada-wide certification.
After Malloch completes his apprenticeship program he plans to work for his father’s company Malloch Construction. “I still have a lot of work ahead of me,” said Malloch.