Apprenticeship Awards

Apprenticeship Manitoba apprenticeship awards of distinction 2014 W hen Rene Bisson- nette learned he was one of this year's recipients of an Appren- ticeship Manitoba Award of Distinction he couldn't help chuckling. Bissonnette, a mechanic and service manager at Rosenort Motors, thought one of his friends or co-workers must be pulling his leg. It turned out they weren't. He was chosen in part based on the many years of mentor- ing he has provided to appren- tice mechanics who worked under his tutelage. In fact, it was one of his recent appren- tices who recommended him for the award. "I asked him 'How much did you have to BS?' He said 'No, it was all true,' " Bissonnette laughs. "It was definitely rewarding. I kind of think I was just doing my part to groom an appren- tice. But I look at the other guys in our shop with all their experience too. I was the one who got the award, but I'm only part of the picture. It was a team effort." There was a time when Bis- sonnette was in the same po- sition as many of the young mechanics who have trained with him. Growing up in Letellier, he always loved cars and started working at his brother-in-law's garage soon after graduating from high school. A short time later, he did an apprenticeship at a General Motors dealership in Morris and eventually land- ed at Rosenort Motors, where he's been for most of the past 25 years. "I always loved cars. It was something that intrigued me from childhood," he says. "I liked the mechanical aspect. You get a problem, you fix it, and then you see the car drive away." Colleagues say one of the qualities that sets Bissonnette apart is his patient, collabora- tive approach to working with others. His feathers aren't eas- ily ruffled and he won't hesitate to roll up his sleeves and help a co-worker with a problem. "You try and be a team. I do give them the work but I also try to help in any way, shape or form to get the job done correctly," he says. "Especially with apprentices, you want to groom them to be the best technicians possible." It's been nearly 30 years since Bissonnette received his journeyperson certificate and he's never regretted his career choice. In fact, the father of two would like to see more young people consider a career in the trades. "Far too many kids want to do computers. It's all about computers and the trades are suffering," he says. "The more kids that get into a trade the better. We need kids in mechanics, carpentry and plumbing. I think nowa- days with all the electronics in vehicles and with proper train- ing you can make a good ca- reer out of it." When he isn't busy at work, Bissonnette can usually be found spending time with family at his home in St. Jean Baptiste or driving around in his 2011 Cadillac CTS or the 1968 Dodge Dart he and his son fixed up. An avid golfer, he spends part of his winter snow- boarding, a hobby his kids got him hooked on. "I thought it looked like fun. It took me a while to master it but I'm pretty agile now," he says, laughing. Journeyperson of the year (rural) Rene Bissonnette / RosenoRt MotoRs Ltd. M ark Braun has built a career — and a business — as a journeyperson in the hairdressing trade. Although he's spent the last 25 years plying his trade, Braun stumbled upon the in- dustry by chance. As a first-year student at the University of Winnipeg, he lived across the street from the university and often passed by Marvel Beauty School. One day, he walked through the doors and abruptly changed his career path. "I decided to try it after one year of university, and I've never looked back," he says. "It was just something that I gravitated to. It's only a nine- month course and you can get a career." Back then, the industry wasn't attracting business- minded people, he notes, since apprentices only needed a Grade 9 education to get into hairdressing. "Now you need your Grade 12, and they're teaching business building," he says. "They're teaching the people skills that salon owners are looking for in staff members because a big part of our in- dustry is trying to build your business. It's a huge plus for us as business owners." As owner of Salon POP, which opened in 2008, Braun employs four apprentices and eight journeypersons. Over the past six years, he's hired apprentices and helped them build up their skills over time. And in turn, apprentices have helped him to grow his business. "We've grown organically be- cause we've grown from with- in," he says. Under the tutelage of Braun and other journeypersons at Salon POP, apprentices have the chance to build their skills in an education-oriented envi- ronment where they don't have to be afraid to ask questions. With a passion for education, he takes every opportunity to pass on his knowledge to ap- prentices. And he takes every opportunity to increase his own knowledge, as well. Braun and his staff travel across North America to get extra training in cities like New York, Chicago and To- ronto. Then they bring that new knowledge back to Salon POP and share it with others. With plans to open more sa- lons in the future, Braun says apprentices will continue to be part of his business and the in- dustry that he loves. "The industry is constantly changing. Fashion changes all the time, and hairstyle follows fashion. We're always coming up with new ideas and new styles every season. That's what's really cool about it," he says. One of the most rewarding aspects of being a journeyper- son in his trade is knowing that he's making a difference in somebody's day. "People leave feeling good, and that's pretty powerful. It's a great industry to be in." Journeyperson of the year (urban) MaRk BRaun / saLon PoP Instructor of the year BaRRy ChetyRBok/Red RiveR CoLLege Sheet Metal, Roofer, Sheeter/Decker/Cladder, Testing & Balancing, and Production Divisions 438HigginsAvenueWinnipeg,ManitobaR3A1S5 Phone204.774.4447 Fax204.786.3053 email:smw511@mts.net OnbehalfoftheOfficers,Members&StaffSMWIALocal511 wewishtoacknowledgetheoutstandingtalent, excellenceandcontributionsdemonstratedbyeachofthe 2014nomineesandextendoursincere CONGRATULATIONS 2014 APPRENTICESHIP AWARDS OF DISTINCTION NOMINEES I t's all in the family for instructor Barry Chetyr- bok, who sees his stu- dents as family in the trade. For the past decade, Chetyr- bok has taught ironworker apprentices at Red River Col- lege, although he had planned to forge his career in a differ- ent direction. "As a youth, I took the weld- ing program at Red River College, but then I fell in love with ironworking. One of my friends was an ironworker, and I had visited his job sites. I was in awe of what he was doing," he recalls. "There's not too many peo- ple that can climb and walk around up on that structural steel, and he did it so effort- lessly. I was in awe and I did my best to join their organiza- tion. Finally, I was given the opportunity to do so and I have not looked back since." As an ironworker, Chetyrbok was injured on the job and couldn't return to his position due to physical limitations. As an alternative, his business manager asked if he'd be inter- ested in teaching. "I said I'd give it a go, and so far, I love it. The best part is the interaction with the students. I try to get them to enjoy learning. I try to en- gage them and challenge their reasoning skills rather than memorizing and regurgitating facts," he says. "In my mind, the students themselves are responsible for their own learning. I'm just here to facilitate. I try my best to instil character, work ethic and a strong command of what the trade involves. I'm here as a result of an accident, so I really stress the safety part of it." When it comes to interac- tions, Chetyrbok doesn't have a typical teacher-student rela- tionship with his class. "We're union members," he says. "I'm going to see them on the job, and it makes me proud to see how far they've progressed. They've taken their training to the next level. I have former students right now who are running multi-million-dollar jobs. I'm very proud of them." Always willing to help, Chetyrbok recently took time to coach students for a West- ern Canada apprenticeship competition. "I had two students that STORY CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE »

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