Ryan Gillis

My Skills Background
I first became involved with Skills competitions in 2005 when I competed in Aircraft Maintenance at the Skills Canada National Competition (SCNC). I went on to compete again in 2006 and 2007, earning gold medals in my first two years. In 2016, I joined the National Technical Committee (NTC), becoming its Chair in 2024. The following year, in 2025, I took on the role of Expert. Beyond SCNC, I’ve also represented Canada internationally serving as NTC Co-Chair at WorldSkills Abu Dhabi 2017 and as an Expert at WorldSkills Kazan 2019.

Training Champions
I became a Trainer to support a fellow employee in pursuing his dream of competing at the WorldSkills Competition. At the same time, I want to help build and strengthen the apprenticeship program at STARS, raising it to a world-class level. I look forward to guiding the competitor through how projects are built, the complexities involved, and refining his muscle memory skills. Ultimately, our goal is to reach the podium!

Why I Love Volunteering
I truly believe in the Skills program and the impact it has on the skilled trades. Every trades company in Canada should be competing for the privilege of hiring anyone who has taken part in a Skills competition. When we launched the apprenticeship program at STARS, we proudly hired two medalists from the previous year. Moving forward, STARS will continue to look to Skills competitors when recruiting the next generation of Aircraft Maintenance Engineers.