The Manitoba Home Builders' Association is celebrating 75 years.
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02 A P P R E N T I C E S H I P AWA R D S O F D I S T I N C T I O N | 2 0 1 3 2013Apprenticeship T his year's awards ceremony will take place Fri., Nov. 1, at the Fairmont Winnipeg with former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Obby Khan serving as the master of ceremonies. The evening will serve as the official kickoff of Apprenticeship Recognition Week in Manitoba, the only event of its kind in Canada. Approximately 350 people are expected to attend this year's awards ceremony which will recognize individu- als in three distinct categories including employer (ur- ban and rural), journeyperson (urban and rural) and top instructor. Cordella Friesen, manager of corporate affairs for Ap- prenticeship Manitoba, says the event has grown con- siderably since its inception seven years ago. "It's largely been because of so many incredible indus- try supporters," said Friesen. "There have been a lot of stakeholders who have helped us support this event." One of the highlights of this year's Awards of Dis- tinction will be a keynote address by Maria Nestoras, a construction worker from Hamilton who recently won the HGTV reality series Canada's Handyman Chal- lenge. Nestoras had to complete a series of tasks dem- onstrating her skills in plumbing, roofing, carpentry and electrical to claim the top prize of $25,000. "I think she's a great choice because one of the areas we want to look at is women in non-traditional trades," said Friesen. "Maria has done very well for herself and I think she has been able to inspire people all across the country." Another prominent speaker at this year's event will be Jacob Bell. A full-time commercial bricklayer for Euro-Can Enterprises Ltd., Bell brought home a med- al of excellence from the World Skills Competition in Leipzig, Germany, earlier this year and is a former gold medallist at the National Skills Competition. This year's awards gala will offer attendees a genuine taste of Manitoba. Culinary arts students from Red River College's Paterson Global Foods Institute were asked to submit their dinner ideas and one lucky stu- dent will be chosen to work side-by-side with the Fair- mont's head chef to prepare the evening's meal. "It's really good for them to get an opportunity to get some experience working with a chef for a high-profile event like this and also get some real hands-on experi- ence," said Friesen. Engaging youth is a particular focus of this year's Ap- prenticeship Awards. High schools across the province were invited to submit their ideas for a student proj- ect competition showcasing interesting and innovative projects the students worked on. Students from Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School were chosen for their efforts to restore a 1978 Fiat Spider 124 convertible, while another team of students from Steinbach were chosen for the creativity of their sugar-based artwork. The aim of the student competition is to help young people understand that a skilled trade can be a fun and rewarding career path, says Alisa Ramrattan, executive director of Apprenticeship Manitoba. "Apprenticeship Manitoba is really a valuable post- secondary career pathway option," she said. "We want to provide as much information as we can that appren- ticeship is a legitimate valued option for them. It of- fers a blend of work experience and classroom training with an emphasis on hands-on experience." Ramrattan says one of the offshoots of the awards program has been the sense of community it has helped foster among the winners, regardless of whether they are employers, apprentices or instructors. "One of the things the program does is it validates the work they are doing," she said. "One of the ben- efits of winning the award is you feel immensely more involved in the apprenticeship model and you almost feel like an ambassador." Apprenticeship training has likely never been more valuable, or in demand, than it is today. The provincial government estimates Manitoba will require an addi- tional 75,000 skilled workers by 2020. "Apprenticeship is expected to play a significant role in helping to meet that goal," Ramrattan said. "The apprenticeship training and certification model is … a way for Manitobans to enhance their employment and career opportunities through skills training and hands- on paid work experience. It's an earn-while-you-learn approach which is good for families and a great start to a new career. "The apprenticeship option puts the employer in the driver's seat to develop the workers they need in skilled trades here in Manitoba, with a supportive technical training program for workers by experienced instruc- tors and journeypersons. It focuses on getting people into the right jobs we need to meet the economic growth opportunities." Tickets for this year's event are $60 each and are availablebycontactingStraussEventManagementat (204)947-9766.Ticketorderformsarealsoavailable on the Apprenticeship Manitoba website at http:// www.gov.mb.ca/tce/apprent/awards/forms/ticket_ order_form_2013.pdf. SOME OF MANITOBA'S TOP UPAND COMING TRADES PEOPLE AND THEIR MENTORS WILL BE IN THE SPOTLIGHT IN EARLY NOVEMBER WHEN THE PROV INCE HOSTS THE 2013 APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS OF DISTINCTION. THE GALA EVENING RECOGNIZES THE EXCEPTIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF EM PLOYERS, JOURNEYPERSONS, INSTRUC TORS AND OTHER COMMUNITY STAKE HOLDERS TO APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING IN THE PROVINCE. Awards gala shines light on apprenticeship training By Jim Timlick For the Free Press Apprenticeshiptraining haslikelyneverbeenmore valuable,orindemand,than itistoday.Theprovincial governmentestimates Manitobawillrequirean additional75,000skilled workersby2020.