LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE TRADES PUBLICATION 2019-21
READY FOR tHE WORKPLACE SHOWCASING THE SKILLED TRADES AT LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE
LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE TRADES PUBLICATION 2019-21
READY TO BUILD OUR COMMUNITIES When it comes to talking about the value and lasting impact of learning the skilled trades at Lethbridge College, I can speak from experience. I graduated from the college’s Automotives program in 1987 and then spent a decade farming and running my own automotive repair shop. But I always kept learning, and went on to complete three journeyman trades programs – Agricultural Equipment Technician, Heavy Equipment Technician and Automotive Equipment Technician – all with Red Seals, all right here at the college. By 2004, I was teaching in the program where I got my start; in 2007, I was named chair of the Crooks School of Transportation; and in 2019, I started working as Dean of the Centre for Trades. A lot has changed over the years since I first stepped foot in a shop at the college – from the tools to technology to the facility where students learn. But the important parts have remained the same. From the beginning, Lethbridge College programs have been designed to meet the needs of employers and industry in the southern Alberta region. In 1957, that meant automotives and welding. And while we’ve taught those key programs for more than six decades, we never stopped asking what our community needed and we responded to those needs as quickly as we could. Over the years, that has meant adding nearly a dozen other certificate, diploma and apprenticeship programs to our offerings – most recently our Wind Turbine Technician, Plumber and Baker programs. As we look to what happens next, we plan to keep building on a formula that’s worked from the start. We’ll keep talking to our industry partners to make sure as technologies, economies and industries change and evolve, we are right there, ready to lead the way. We’ll keep hiring outstanding instructors who have real-world experience in the subjects they teach. And we’ll remain committed to teaching and training the talented students who come through our doors – making sure that when they graduate, they are ready to continue the proud Lethbridge College tradition of building and supporting our community, province and country.
Sheldon Anderson Dean of the Centre for Trades
READY TO LEAD THE WAY Less than two months after I started working at Lethbridge College, I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of our Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility. On that sunny September afternoon, I got to appreciate the gleam of new shops and the shine of high-tech equipment waiting for the students to use. But most memorable were the smiles of everyone who came to see the ribbon cutting (a special metal ribbon that required an acetylene torch and welding ticket!). So many people worked to make that building a reality – and they knew cutting that ribbon meant more than just opening the doors of a new facility. It indicated a renewed commitment to generations of students to be able to access high-quality, high-tech, hands-on education close to home, and an ongoing promise to local, regional and provincial industries to educate and train the employees they need for their businesses to grow and thrive. It’s the people who make Lethbridge College such a remarkable place. Our students finish their education ready for the workplace. Our instructors constantly add new knowledge and competencies to their teaching toolboxes. Our alumni give back to their college in a variety of generous ways, from donations to serving on our industry advisory boards to hiring our grads. Don’t get me wrong – the new building is incredible. But the people inside it are what truly make it special. We hope you enjoy getting to know a few of them – and about the skilled trades programs they bring to life – in this publication.
Dr. Samantha Lenci Provost and Vice President Academic
We are
CONFIDENT
PROUD
ABOUT THIS PUBLICATION This inaugural issue of Lethbridge College’s Be Ready for the Workplace series is dedicated to highlighting the skilled trades. These publications are designed to inform readers about our outstanding programs, to showcase our exceptional faculty members and facilities, and to celebrate our students and alumni who have achieved success in these programs.
ADAPTIVE
SUPPORTIVE
Publisher: Dr. Paula Burns Executive editor: Sheldon Anderson Editor and writer: Lisa Kozleski Designer: Dana Woodward Photographers: Rob Olson, Rod Leland and Gregory Thiessen Writers: Paul Kingsmith and Dawn Sugimoto
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LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE TRADES PUBLICATION 2019-21
READY TO FACE THE CHALLENGE. Independence, confidence and lifelong learning – that’s what Mykenzee Ramunno, a fourth-year Heavy Equipment Technician apprentice at Lethbridge College, says she gets from her program and profession. Ramunno says she came to the college to learn to be a mechanic “because I love the independence it gives me,” she says. “I wanted a job where I could enjoy my Monday to Friday as much as I enjoyed my weekends, where I could wake up in the morning and be excited about what I’m doing.” As an apprentice, she is already working in her dream career while attending classes. “What I like most about my career choice is the independence and security I get from my job,” Ramunno says. “I can fix anything I need to and I’m more confident in myself as a result. Confidence in this trade is truly everything because you will need confidence in everything you do – every repair, every time a customer asks a question, you have to be confident.” After completing her third year in 2019, Ramunno earned her first Red Seal ticket. She’ll earn her second ticket after completing the final year in 2020 – and she plans to keep on learning. “I’ll always find a way to take my career further and learn as much as I can,” she says. “I might not know exactly where I’ll end up after I get both journeymen tickets, but I know that I don’t ever want to stop learning and growing.”
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LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE TRADES PUBLICATION 2019-21
Ready to COMPETE. Picture Butte’s Justin Dekok was pursuing a career in cabinetmaking until a job offer more than a year ago introduced him to plumbing. So he enrolled in Lethbridge College’s Plumbing apprenticeship program, and at the end of his first year finished as one of the top plumbing students in the province – and the country. “I never thought plumbing was in the books for me, but I just love it,” says Dekok. “It’s a clean job. You start fresh. You lay out your tools, spend time planning, get organized, and at the end you have something you can take a picture of and say, ‘I made this.’ It challenges me every time, and I like seeing a project through from the ground up.” In the middle of his first year of studies, Dekok’s college instructors, including Jeremy Bridge, encouraged him to enter the Provincial Skills Canada Competition in Edmonton. Dekok did, and returned with a silver medal. He went on to earn another silver medal at the Skills Canada National Competition in May in Halifax. Bridge says skills competitions are an important way to expose young people to the possibility of a career in trades and to build confidence among young people entering the trades. “They can say, ‘I’m really good at this,’” says Bridge. “It boosts their confidence and it develops skilled labour. The more precise you are as a plumber — and in other trades, too — the better things go for the next trade that comes in after you.” Photo courtesy Skills Canada-Alberta
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LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE TRADES PUBLICATION 2019-21
Ready to make a difference. For two years after he completed Lethbridge College’s Electrical Apprenticeship program in 2015, Carlos Carabantes still kept coming to campus. The second time around, though, his commute was for work, not school, as Carabantes was working at the college’s new Trades, Technologies and Innovation facility as a journeyman electrician with ESC Automation, a building automation and energy management company. “It’s exciting to be part of such a big project,” he said when he was working on the new facility. During his time on campus, Carabantes installed Delta control panels and sensors to control building equipment, primarily for heating and cooling, through automation and programming. “That’s the thing – even though I got my ticket here, as a journeyman electrician, you never really stop learning,” said Carabantes. “You can be a 20-year or 50-year journeyman and still learning new things. It can be daunting but it also makes it exciting. It’s definitely a rewarding trade.” Today, Carabantes is working as a project manager and estimator for the Lethbridge office of ESC, contributing to projects at Chinook Regional Hospital and the University of Lethbridge, among others. “I think when you’re looking at getting into electrical, it’s a good thing to try different aspects, from residential to industrial to commercial,” he says. “I find this is a good trade – there are so many different aspects to being an electrician and you can really branch out.”
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LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE TRADES PUBLICATION 2019-21
READY TO CONNECT TO THE COMMUNITY Lethbridge College’s skilled trades programs work closely with partners throughout the community. From offering dual credit programs with students in Lethbridge School District 51 to working with industry partners to make sure students are learning with the kind of equipment and technology they’ll find on the job, community connections make our trades programs even stronger. “The value of the program from the school district’s point of view is it facilitates the transition from high school to trades employment,” says Andrew Krul, the off-campus education coordinator for the Lethbridge School District. “All the students in the dual credit program expressed interest in automotive service technician learning; however, only one high school offers automotive mechanics and that is at a CTS level. The dual credit program provides learning and qualification at an industry-standard apprenticeship level.” Krul adds that the skills these students learn at the college “far exceed what any of the students have been able to achieve through high school programs. The development of shop safety skills, tools, and first-year automotive skills are eagerly sought after by employers looking to hire apprentices. By securing registered apprenticeships while in high school, the students accumulate hours towards their first-year apprenticeship and earn valuable high school credits.”
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FIVE FACTS ABOUT OUR TRADES 1
Our skilled trades programs work closely with advisory committees, and many of our trades-related employees are represented by industry associations. Advisory committee members come from industry and are valued partners who provide expertise, oversight and work placements for our college programs. Industry association partners are also valued and include the Lethbridge Construction Association, Lethbridge Auto Dealers Association, Western Equipment Dealers Association, Alberta Roadbuilders and Heavy Construction Association and more.
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We work closely with our Local Apprenticeship Committees (LACs) and Provincial Apprenticeship Committees (PACs). LACs are the grassroots of the apprenticeship and industry systems for designated trades. PACs are responsible for making recommendations about training, certification and standards for Alberta’s designated trades.
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We offer flexible learning options. Students who live outside of the city or who wish to pursue their education while they continue to work can be part of our Cook, Baker and Parts Technician WATS programs. These Weekly Apprenticeship Training System programs involve one day of training at Lethbridge College per week throughout the length of the program.
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We have hosted regional Skills Alberta competitions for more than 15 years. Sheldon Anderson, our Dean of Trades and a 1987 grad of our Automotives program, is on the board of Skills Canada Alberta. Many of our instructors serve as regional, provincial and national judges and volunteer on the provincial skills committees for their respective trades.
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We support joint training partnerships with industry. Our industry partners use our spaces to conduct the most modern and up-to-date training of their employees. In many cases, our instructors can receive this training at no cost and pass new knowledge on to their students. Recent partnerships included AGCO, Western Tractor, Enercon and more.
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LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE TRADES PUBLICATION 2019-21
READY TO GO ON DAY ONE For more than 60 years, Lethbridge College has been giving students the tools they need to connect to the work they’ll love. And our grads are a welcome addition to any workplace – because they’re ready. They’re equipped with experience and ready to go on day one. Our trades programs have helped build our community, province and country. Here’s a few things that set them apart from the rest.
$75K
WE OFFER NEARLY $75,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS FOR STUDENTS IN THE SKILLED TRADES. We’re proud to help make education a reality for anyone with the desire to learn, regardless of their financial circumstances. And we are working to find new donors to create new opportunities for our students each year.
WE HAVE MORE THAN 1,000 APPRENTICES REGISTERED FOR THE 2019-20 ACADEMIC YEAR In fact, there are 1,081 apprentices and an additional 127 students enrolled in college trades programs in Fall 2019. Most of these students come from southern Alberta to learn and return to their communities with new skills, knowledge and experience.
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st
1000+
LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE’S WIND TURBINE TECHNICIAN PROGRAM WAS THE FIRST PROGRAM IN NORTH AMERICA TO DELIVER WIND TURBINE TECHNICIAN TRAINING In 2008, we became the first institution in North America to be BZEE certified. As of 2019, we are the largest trainer in the BZEE network with up to 48 graduates per year.
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NEW JOURNEYMEN REQUIRED TO SUSTAIN CERTIFICATION LEVELS From 2019 to 2023, an estimated 67,000 new journeymen will be required to sustain workforce certification levels across the 10 largest Red Seal trades in Canada, excluding Quebec and the Territories.
67,000
Source: Canadian Apprenticeship Forum
40,800
SKILLED WORKERS APPROACHING RETIREMENT Alberta’s construction and maintenance sector expects to lose an estimated 40,800 workers to retirement over the next 10 years. Source: BuildForce Canada’s 2019–2028 Construction and Maintenance Looking Forward provincial report
BY THE NUMBERS: OUR APPRENTICESHIP STUDENTS Over the years, thousands of apprentices have learned their trades at Lethbridge College. Between 2016 and 2019, in fact, more than 2,500 got their hands-on, high-tech training on our campus. Here’s the rundown on what they studied: Combined totals from 2016-19 • Electrician – 807 • Heavy Equipment Technician – 463 • Carpenter – 342 • Welder – 276 • Automotive Service Technician – 249 • Plumber – 175 • Parts Tech – 103 • Cook – 100 • Agriculture Equipment Technician – 33 • Baker (new program) – 9
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LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE TRADES PUBLICATION 2019-21
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Ready to LEARN. The Welding shop in Lethbridge College’s new Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility has 60 welding booths where apprentices learn a variety of different welding processes to prepare for careers. Before the new building opened in 2017, students would learn the operations at various booths; these state-of-the-art multi-process booths allow students to remain in place as they practise any of the different processes. The welding student shown here is practising skills with the Shielded Metal Arc Welding process, one of several welding and cutting processes students learn in their second year. Welding students also can benefit from working with a “virtual welder” – one that allows them to practise a particular technique over and over again, such as maintaining even pressure or a correct angle. “Our virtual welder simulates the real welding experience and requires real welding procedures – the sounds, the lights, the sparks,” says Dave Heins (Agriculture Mechanics 1992), an instructor in the Welding apprentice program. “Your body will learn after you’ve practised enough. You can look at the weld and the wire and get a very accurate sense of your work.” The goal, welding instructors say, is to have the students learn to react exactly the same way each time.
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LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE TRADES PUBLICATION 2019-21
READY FOR WHAT HAPPENS NEXT Our new Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility (TIFF) positions Lethbridge College as the institution for trades training in southern Alberta by bringing together students, faculty and industry to create a vibrant, responsive learning environment. The facility is the single most important capital investment for trades and technologies in southern Alberta in over 50 years. It’s also the largest construction project in the college’s history. It has increased our capacity to train the next generation of skilled tradespeople and engineering and design technologists. And it’s revolutionized our curriculum, bringing together students, faculty and industry partners in a modern, environmentally-sensitive space that features: • • • • • • •
modern labs, apprentice shops, tool rooms, classrooms, meeting rooms and offices more than 200 solar tubes to provide natural light to the workshops and classrooms and to reduce energy costs 60 welding booths set up for students to learn five different welding processes rooms housing wind turbine components to train on a multi-purpose lab that provides students with learning opportunities for fluid mechanics and surveying applications a dedicated 3D printing room collaborative spaces to incubate the great ideas of tomorrow
ALL ABOUT TTIF • Construction ran from April 2014 to August 2017. • The total construction cost was $77 million. • Construction used 31 per cent of regional materials and 22 per cent of recycled materials. • Over 80 per cent of construction waste was diverted from the landfill. • The facility prioritizes space for student learning: o 72 per cent of the square footage is dedicated to shops, labs and related support. o 14 per cent of the square footage is dedicated to lecture, classroom and seminar space.
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$10M
168,812
NEARLY $10 Million dollars WERE raised in our Possibilities are Endless Campaign, THAT went toward the new Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility
The Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility provides 168,812 sq. ft. of state-of-the-art facilities for students in a variety of skilled trades and technologies programs
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LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE TRADES PUBLICATION 2019-21
READY TO TEACH THE NEXT GENERATION When the builders and industry leaders of southern Alberta saw a shortage of skilled plumbers in the region, they looked to Lethbridge College. And Lethbridge College responded to their need – creating a new Plumbing Apprenticeship program. In 2019, the apprentices in the first cohort of the fouryear program walked across the stage to receive their diplomas – as well as their “tickets” ensuring they had the skills, knowledge and experience needed to succeed in this growing field. From Lethbridge College’s earliest days, the institution has been responding to the needs of the community, providing outstanding educational experiences close to home. And this important work couldn’t be done without the dedicated and skilled teaching that happens each day in the classrooms, labs and shops across campus. Students and apprentices benefit when they learn from instructors who are experienced in the fields they teach. From automotives to welding to wind turbine technicians, our instructors know their subjects extraordinarily well – because they’ve done the work themselves. The entire campus community and our 40,000+ alumni are grateful for their work. Thanks to their instructors, our grads are ready for what happens next. They know it matters most.
HERE FROM THE BEGINNING Mechanics and Welding programs were some of the first programs to start at Lethbridge College in 1957.
1957
What happens next matters most. TRADES PROGRAMS AT LETHBRIDGE COLLEGE • Agricultural and Heavy Equipment Technician • Automotive Service Technician • Automotive Systems • Baker • Carpenter • Cook • Culinary Careers • Electrician • Heavy Equipment Technician • Parts Technician • Plumber • Welder • Wind Turbine Technician
lethbridgecollege.ca/trades
Want to learn more about the skilled trades at Lethbridge College? We’d love to hear from you. Centre for Trades tradeslc@lethbridgecollege.ca 403.320.3411 lethbridgecollege.ca/trades
403.320.3202
3000 College Drive S. Lethbridge, AB T1K 1L6
lethbridgecollege.ca
