Pictured: Electrical Instructor Dawn Ohama, Keegan Sturge, and Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall.
FORT MCMURRAY — Today is the day for Fort McMurray’s Keegan Sturge as he competes for Team Canada at WorldSkills 2026 in Shanghai.
The Keyano College electrical alumnus is competing in Electrical Installations against young skilled-trades professionals from around the world. The international competition runs Sept. 22 to 27.
Sturge’s path to Worlds began while he was a student at École McTavish, where he entered Keyano’s Electrical Dual Credit program.
His first Skills competition came in 2022, when he earned bronze in Electrical Installations at the secondary-school level during a virtual Skills Alberta competition.
Working with Keyano electrical instructor and mentor Dawn Ohama, Sturge returned to provincials in 2023 and won gold before earning silver at Skills Canada Nationals in Winnipeg.
He became the first École McTavish student to medal at the national level while training through Keyano.
“That was the moment it hit me,” Sturge said. “Like, okay, this is real. I can actually do this.”
Sturge moved into the post-secondary category the following year, winning gold at both the provincial and national competitions in 2024. He repeated both victories in 2025, securing a place on Team Canada.
Preparation for Shanghai included months of technical training, problem-solving and working with different equipment and international electrical standards.
Sturge and Ohama also travelled to Yancheng, China, where he competed and trained alongside participants from China, Korea, Macau, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and Mongolia.
The trip gave Sturge a chance to experience international competition and identify areas for improvement before WorldSkills.
He said the competition is also an opportunity to learn how others approach the trade.
“I’m excited to meet competitors from all over the world,” he said. “Everyone does the same trade a bit differently. It’s going to be amazing to learn from that.”
Ohama is in Shanghai with Sturge as he represents Canada on the world stage.
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