Close to 500 students will be competing in front of fellow peers and educators this Thursday in the Skills Canada Manitoba competition.

This year's provincial championship will include Red River Campus on Notre Dame and other locations in Winnipeg.

Executive Director for Skills Canada - Manitoba, Maria Pacella stated today's trades are very different.

"Don't forget that a lot of the trades now are very computerized. Automotive service, automotive technology, you have got heavy equipment service. There is welding, there is plumbing, there is culinary, there is robotics. There is a huge gambit of trades and it is very different. It is not those dirty jobs where you get yourself all greasy. A lot of this is computerized."

Pacella noted Government, Education and Skills Manitoba all recognize that trade jobs are invaluable and can give people a great standard of living.

Meanwhile, she explained why these skills competitions are important to promote the trades.

"All of our objective is to bring up the status of the skilled trades," said Pacella. "They are honourable and exciting jobs and careers. People can become business owners, self employed, I mean this wonderful for people planning their futures. Not everybody is made to do one thing or go to university. We all have different talents so this is a way of promoting the difference and promoting the opportunities in the trade."

She added the economy will need skilled tradespeople more than ever with the influx in retirees coming up in the next 5 to 10 years.

The Skills Canada National competition will take place in Saskatoon at the end of May.