Northlands Parkway Collegiate Electrical Technology student Wes Klippenstein has won gold in Electrical Installations at the 2025 Skills Canada competition last week in Regina. The Grade 12 is enrolled in the program through the Red River Valley Technical Vocational Area (RRTVA), with his home school being Altona's W.C. Miller Collegiate. You may recall he advanced to the Skills Canada competition after winning gold at Skills Manitoba back in April.
"When they announced my name over the speaker, I was like, wow," as he shared what it was like to find out he came in first. "Then I went up on stage, and just you can't really think for that moment because you're so amazed."
Leading up to the competition, with the help of his Instructor Trent Krahn, Klippenstein prepared extensively.
"I did a whole project with my instructor at school, just the practice of what we think the competition was going to be," said Klippenstein. "Then, I did a lot at home, too, with pipe bending and putting drywall boxes in."
Practice makes perfect
That practice, in retrospect, appears to have been prescient.
"It was very similar (project) to Winnipeg," he explained. "You have this mock up once again, and then have to mount a bunch of boxes like the panel. This time they had quite a few more lights, with a smoke detector once again, and with the addition of drywall boxes that you have to cut into drywall."
Klippenstein said it all went really smoothly for him, so smoothly he was finished two hours before the next competitor.
"I kept on checking everything through twice, like did I miss something? I hope not."
Klippenstein strong from the start says Instructor
"From the very first hour of the two-day competition, Wes set the pace, impressing judges with his precision, speed, and professionalism," noted his Instructor Trent Krahn. "His project execution was not only neat, but also remarkably efficient, quickly establishing him as the competitor to beat."
Krahn stressed the Skills Canada competition is a rigorous two-day event, running from 7:15am to 4:00pm on the first day and 8:30am to 3:00pm on the second.
"As the hours wore on, many competitors began to show signs of fatigue, but Wes remained composed and focused under pressure," he said. "One of the most challenging aspects of the competition is the demand for absolute precision. Every measurement must be accurate to the millimeter. At the end of day one, Wes confidently told me, 'Mr. Krahn, my measurements are all perfect.'"
Krahn is immensely proud of Wes's ability to perform under pressure, especially with thousands of spectators touring the venue and media cameras capturing every moment.
"In the brightest lights, Wes shone through," said Krahn.
Favourite parts of the experience
"I would say just going away from home, and doing something different, it's way out of my comfort zone, and I highly recommend the Skills Competition," said Klippenstein who also talked about take aways from competing. "I would say the ability to do something I didn't think was possible. A few years ago, I never thought I'd be able to go to Skills and do all this, and now look what happened."
"Wes’s success is a testament, not only to his own dedication and talent, but also to the strength of the electrical program at Northlands Parkway Collegiate," added Krahn. "The Pembina Valley should be proud."
Klippenstein intends on attaining his Red Seal certification in electrical, and is planning on going to school either this Fall or Fall 2026 to continue that process.
And his words of advice to those considering entering trades training?
"I would say go out there and do something out of your comfort zone, and don't be afraid to work hard."
You can listen to our entire conversation with Wes Klippenstein, below.
