Cypress River’s Graham McGill strikes gold at Skills Manitoba Competition
Graham McGill, a second-year Web Technologies student at Assiniboine College, recently earned top honours at the Skills Manitoba Competition held at Red River College.
“Skills Manitoba offers students the chance to put their classroom learning into real-world-practise,” said Jim DeGraeve, acting Dean of Trades and team Assiniboine lead.
The competition is grounded in the philosophy of celebrating student excellence, strengthening industry connections, and ensuring training reflects current workforce demands. Each event is signed and judged by seasoned industry professionals and educators, bringing real world standards and expectations into the competition arena.
Competitors were tasked with redesigning the Manitoba Legislature website and improving its functionality – all within a five-hour window.
McGill, the son of Troy and Meagan McGill of Cypress River, said the assignment was meant to be impossible to fully complete in the time allotted.
“The tasks are impossible, but the point is to see what you can come up with and put out,” he explained.
With time management as the biggest challenge, McGill focused on striking a strong balance between form and function.
“Visual is nice, but functionality is what matters most,” he said.
All participants were seated at a shared table, given identical instructions, and encouraged to complete the visual layout first before dedicating the majority of their time to the programming side.
Once time was up, judges reviewed the contestants’ work and announced the winners.
“I was honestly very surprised I won,” McGill said with a smile. “I knew how talented the other students were, so I knew the competition would be tough.”
He described the atmosphere during the event as intense, saying it looked like “hands flying furiously over a keyboard, just as you would see in an exaggerated cartoon,” as the competitors raced against the clock.
McGill shared that he has always had a keen interest in computers and problem-solving, noting that his strengths lie in creativity and adaptability.
“Things change constantly, so in order to stay on top, you must be open to the changes that occur, with a willingness and strength to learn on the fly,” he said.
McGill, who will graduate in June, is currently completing his practicum with Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) in Brandon.
PHOTO CAPTION: Graham McGill of Cypress River won gold at the Skills Manitoba Competition.
