Sponsored by BC HRMA, four teams from post-secondary institutions around the province recently competed at the national HR Excalibur Tournament in Montreal on March 16-17, 2012.  With 25 teams gathered from across Canada for the 26th Excalibur Tournament, only eight were selected to move to the finals, among them, two teams from British Columbia: Thompson Rivers University (TRU) and Okanagan College.

BC HRMA is delighted to see TRU and Okanagan College announced as ‘top 8’ finalists. TRU has a history of success after previously placing 3^rd overall. Okanagan College surpassed all expectations; not only was this their first time at the competition, it was the first time any college had competed at Excalibur.   BC HRMA congratulates both teams for their achievement, and all the teams who proudly represented BC.

BC HRMA provided financial and non-financial support, such as coaching, mock-judging and motivational advice, to the four team’s from BC:

• TRU (Kamloops)
• UBC-Okanagan (Kelowna)
• Okanagan College (Kelowna)
• UBC (Vancouver)

As a contest geared to teach students how to resolve real-life work situations, Excalibur is the only tournament organized by practitioners for future HR professionals and is open to all Canadian universities that offer HR management or industrial relations programs.  Each institution is represented by a team of four keen HR students – three who whom compete with the fourth is alternate/back-up.

The Excalibur Tournament features several stages and challenges in which students are tested on their ability to integrate their understanding of HR theory with practical application.  A mixture of HR knowledge, quick thinking, presentation skills and a good grasp of business is required to succeed.  

After the final rounds were complete, Université de Montréal took the top honours, with Concordia University coming in second and Wilfrid Laurier University third. BC HRMA looks forward to supporting future teams from BC institutions in this vibrant competition.