George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
George Brown Polytechnic students delivered an outstanding performance at the 2026 Skills Ontario Competition, held May 4–5 at the Toronto Congress Centre, earning five gold medals, one silver, and one bronze across multiple disciplines. Competing against Ontario’s best emerging talent, George Brown’s students demonstrated exceptional technical skill, creativity, and professionalism—reinforcing the Polytechnic’s reputation as a provincial leader in applied education and the skilled trades.
This year marked George Brown’s largest showing on record, with students competing in 17 categories spanning the faculties of Applied Science, Construction, and Engineering Technology, as well as Business, Creative Industries, and Culinary Arts. Supported by dedicated coaches, mentors, and volunteers, the students rose to the challenge on one of the province’s largest competitive stages.
Celebrating student excellence across disciplines
Among the standout results were five gold-medal finishes, one silver, and two bronzes, including repeat champions and first-time winners who showcased extraordinary preparation and passion for their craft:
Architectural Technology and Design:
- Competitors: Mario Villanueva, Karina De Leon Garcia
- Mentor: Dr. Adel Esayed
Baking and Pastry Arts:
- 🥇 Gold medal: Harmanjot Singh, advancing to Skills Canada
- 🥈Silver medal: Crystal Lai
- Coach: Markus Elegino, Jennifer Lakhan-D’Souza
- Support: Thu Phuong Chloe Nguyen, Kailen Radia, Ayla Ward, Sabina Lee, Vincent Willyanto, Vanessa Dunne
Cloud Computing:
- Competitors: Prabhdeep Singh Taneja
- Coach: Ali Zyaei
Coding:
- Competitors: Andrew Sas, Caio dos Santos Cotts Quintão, Alfred Ranz Navarro
- Coach: Andrew Rudder
CNC Machining:
- Competitors: Jason Silvaroli
- Coach: Parneet S. Saggu
Culinary Arts:
- 🥇 Gold medal: Téo Rapatout, who also received a 🥉Bronze medal Award of Excellence for a top Francophone identifying competitor, advancing to Skills Canada
- Coaches: Trevor Ritchie, Andrew Evans
- Support: Luca Assad, Anne Sophie Martig, Nina Behrouzi, Vanessa Dunne
Cyber Security:
- Competitors: Sayed Edris Sadeed, Chaoyu Liu, Andrew Sheldon
- Coach: Jacky Min
Electrical Installations:
- Competitors: Jesse Plaschka, Charlotte Smrekar
- Coach/Mentor: Bryan Heudier
Heating Systems Technician:
- 🥇 Gold medal: Andrea Marinelli
- Competitor: Mehtab Singh
- Coach: Sergejs Golomedovs
Industrial Mechanic Millwright
- Competitors: Caden Mattson, Alex Charron
- Coach: Tom Hunt
IT Network Systems Administration
- Competitor: Alemu Madebo
- Coach: Jorge Olonewa
Plumbing:
- Competitor: Anthony Granic
- Coach: Marc Lesley
Mechanical CAD:
- 🥇 Gold medal: Jayesh Busgeeth, returning gold medalist, advancing to Skills Canada
- Competitor: Simon Wilson
- Coach: Jamie McIntyre
Restaurant Service:
- 🥉Bronze medal: Andres Maltrana Cole
- Coaches: Doris Miculan-Bradley, Andy Hickl-Szabo
- Support: Edna Moreira, Vanessa Dunne
Sheet Metal Work:
- 🥇 Gold medal: Lyndsey Jordan, returning gold medalist, advancing to Skills Canada
- Competitor: Adam Seganick
- Coach: Shayne Speck
Web Design and Development:
- Competitors: Sokmontrey Sythat
- Coach: Andrew Rudder
Welding
- Competitors: Brody Wolfgang, Esther Wong
- Coach: Robert Slaney
“These results belong to our students,” said Dr. Adel Esayed, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science, Construction, and Engineering Technology. “They trained with focus, confidence, and professionalism, and they competed with integrity. Skills Ontario shows exactly why skilled trades and applied technologies are essential to Ontario’s future—and our students are helping lead the way.”
The power of skilled trades
Skills Ontario is more than a competition; it is a celebration of hands-on learning and the careers that build communities, drive innovation, and keep industries moving. George Brown’s strong showing highlighted the importance of skilled trades and applied technologies at a time when demand for job-ready graduates has never been higher.
George Brown students showcased how technical expertise, problem-solving, and adaptability translate directly into workforce success.
“Competitions like Skills Ontario reinforce the value of what our students do every day,” said Albert Danison, Associate Dean of the School of Computer Technology. “Our learners are not only mastering complex technical skills, but they’re also learning how to perform under pressure, collaborate, and innovate—skills that employers across the digital economy are actively seeking.”
Excellence on display at George Brown’s award-winning booth
Beyond the competition floor, George Brown’s interactive exhibition booth was a standout attraction—inviting guests to George BrOWN Their Tomorrow and earning third place for Best Booth Presentation at the province-wide event.
Designed to inspire future students, the booth featured hands-on demonstrations that brought skilled trades to life. An interactive plumbing challenge captivated visiting high school students, chefs and culinary students connected with aspiring culinarians over cookies, and gaming consoles and programming demos introduced visitors to the world of coding and game development.
A special thank you to Dr. Adel Esayed, Andrew Rudder, Alexander Richard, Rainier Bratsch-Blundel, Joey Dellemonache, Cindy Bautista, Bas Aranha, Elina Cortez-Ralston, Vanessa Dunne, Derek Jensen, Rubia Quieroz, Joseph Enaje, Tara Ferguson, Bryan Mulveney, Abigail Shuster, Rob Slaney, Shayne Speck, Jules Lewis, Madison Rallis, Asia Taylor, Lilly Lazare-Greene, Bryan Heudier, Tom Hunt, Marc Lesley, Olena Shklar, Saiva Steinhards, and the recruitment team, along with the Marketing and Communications team, for coordinating the booth.
A community effort
Behind every medal was a network of support. Coaches, mentors, faculty, staff, and volunteers worked tirelessly to prepare students for competition and to deliver a memorable presence at Skills Ontario.
“Our students’ success is rooted in teamwork and collaboration,” said Tara Ferguson, Associate Dean of the Chef School. “From early training mornings to the pressure of competition day, they were confident and prepared and were supported every step of the way by dedicated faculty and staff. What we saw at Skills Ontario were honed skills and confident technique earned through mentorship, practice, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.”
George Brown extends heartfelt thanks to everyone who helped bring the event together—from booth coordination and logistics to coaching and on-site support. This achievement truly reflects a team effort across the institution.
Onward to Skills Canada
The journey continues. George Brown’s gold medalists will represent the institution at the Skills Canada National Competition, held May 28–29 at Toronto’s Enercare Centre. The entire George Brown community will be cheering them on as they take their skills to the national stage.
Congratulations to all our competitors, coaches, mentors, and volunteers on an unforgettable Skills Ontario 2026. Your dedication, teamwork, and passion embody the very best of George Brown Polytechnic and the bright future of the skilled trades in Ontario and beyond.
