Education

WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - THURSDAY, AUGUST 3, 2017 7 By Geoff Kirbyson for the Free Press There are going to be many more tradespeople who will hit the ground running once the newest facility at Red River College opens up next year. That will be thanks to the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre, an $80-million, 110,000-square-foot state-of-the-art facility currently under construction, where would-be electricians, carpenters and refrigeration experts will be able to get more hands-on training before they step into the real world. Michael Watson, dean of the School of Construction and Engineering Technologies at RRC, said as the STTC rises from the ground, students have been able to take in the entire process and make immediate connections with the theory they've been taught in class. "They've been watching the building grow. Now, when we teach blueprint reading, it allows them to have a real- world visualization of a two-dimensional paper drawing," he said. Blueprints are still a big part of every trade but it might surprise some to hear that technology plays an increasingly crucial role. "As buildings become smarter, there is more of a need to be networked together," Watson said. "In the old days, you had a furnace on its own. Now it's connected to your HVAC. With the Internet of Things and being connected remotely, technology plays a much bigger part with the traditional trades than we think." In fact, Watson said the new building will facilitate collaboration between trades and technology students. "We're trying to build a collision centre to allow students to be able to experience each other's industries. If you're a refrigeration mechanic installing a furnace, you're dealing with the electrician, the HVAC people and the sheet metal manufacturer. You're never working alone anymore, and these are the types of skills and experiences industry is looking for from our grads so we're continuing our trend of meeting and exceeding their needs," he said. RRC didn't really have much choice in whether to invest in its future, said Patrick Kuzyk, its chief capital projects officer. As other trades-focused institutions improve their facilities, such as Algonquin College in Ottawa and the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Calgary and Edmonton, respectively, you can either keep up or watch students walk away to more advanced programs elsewhere. "We decided to up our game. We've had to turn some students away because we didn't have enough space. The STTC is going to increase capacity by about 30 per cent every year. The building itself will see about 1,000 students per day. We're hoping to run some evening classes, too. There is a big backlog in trades," Kuzyk said. These aren't your grandfather's trades, either. RRC students use state-of-the-art laser cutters, plasma cutters, 3D printers and computer labs. "Even the sheet metal guys and the carpenters, instead of a set of blueprints, they have an iPad," Kuzyk said. Students are currently honing their skills in cramped buildings that were great when they were designed a half-century ago but no longer fit the needs of modern training and education. "In the 1960s, you had a set of blueprints and a saw or a vise. Now you need all those things plus a computer monitor and there's a whole other range of tools that they have at their disposal. There is so much more electronic information required at each work space. If the buildings don't have it, they're antiquated," Kuzyk said. While current students are looking forward to moving into the STTC in the fall of 2018, their interim focus is on leaving their own legacy. Carpentry and sheet metal students, for example, have built 60 full-sized maple working benches, 14 rolling tool storage cabinets and 40 work stations. Each bench has a plaque engraved with the students' names who built it. "The effort the students put in was unbelievable. They put their hearts and souls into the construction of those benches," Kuzyk said. ❚ Red River College's state-of-the-art Skilled Trades and Technology Centre is currently under construction. Red River College photo RED RIVER COLLEGE CONNECTED LEARNING C M Y CM MY CY CMY K APPRENTICSHIP copy.pdf 1 2016-07-27 11:12 AM

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