CONESTOGA COLLEGE
Conestoga students earn 15 medals at Skills Ontario Competition

Conestoga students finished with 15 medals at the 2026 Skills Ontario Competition, held May 4-5 at the Toronto Congress Centre.

The event is the largest skilled trades and technology contest in Canada and offers an opportunity for Ontario elementary, secondary and post-secondary students and apprentices to demonstrate and test their skills. Competitors participated in over 50 contests representing a broad range of skills and careers in construction, industrial, motive power, service and technology sectors. In addition to gold, silver and bronze medals, students competed for monetary awards in select categories.

Winners were announced during the closing ceremony on May 6. Conestoga students placed in 13 categories, representing programs from the college's schools of Applied Computer Science & Information Technology, Engineering & Technology and Trades & Apprenticeship.   

Congratulations to Conestoga's 2026 Skills Ontario Competition winners:

Gold

• Leif Gladding - Welding
• Samuel Konyer - Auto Service Technology
• Steven Kranendonk - Brick Masonry
• Aidan Merchant - Precision Machining
• Ayo Osota - Web Design and Development
• Bennett Winer - Cabinetmaking

Silver

• Anastasia Fendley and Charlie Tuchlinsky - Mechatronics (Team of 2)
• Chase Leis - Brick Masonry
• Michael Niezen - Carpentry - Individual

Bronze

• Ethan Aikman - Electronics
• Noah Armstrong - Metal Fabricator Fitter
• Luke Bandl - Automation and Control
• Tyler Duskocy - Heavy Equipment Service
• Joshua Guralski - Auto Service Technology
• Mitchell Wagg - CNC Machining

This is the second gold medal in Precision Machining for Merchant, as well as a second medal for Guralski in Auto Service Technology, who won silver in the category last year.

Conestoga's gold medalists in Auto Service Technology, Brick Masonry, Cabinetmaking, Precision Machining and Welding qualify to represent Team Ontario at the Skills Canada National Competition from May 27-30 in Toronto.

During the closing ceremony, Conestoga was named the recipient of the College Award of Distinction, granted to the institution with the highest overall competitor achievement at the Skills Ontario Competition.

The closing ceremony is available to stream online.

Conestoga is a provincial leader in the delivery of skilled trades and apprenticeship training to serve industry needs and the growing community. Comprehensive programming includes a wide range of programs that provide pathways to employment in trades careers as well as pre-apprenticeship training and in-school training for apprentices.