Northwest Community College Connections

Celebration of Learning trumpets new WEST graduates

Wet'suwet'en Chief Nam’ox addresses WEST graduating class at the June 19 Celebration of Learning at Ganokwa camp.

SMITHERS – With the the Babine Mountains and dense forest surrounding camp providing a striking backdrop, Northwest Community College School of Exploration & Mining celebrated a fresh group of graduates primed to join the minerals industry in a ceremony at Ganokwa camp on June 19.

Fitting for a program that takes place in a camp setting, the proud graduates walked across the outdoor stage in the Celebration of Learning that has come to signify the completion of the 7-week Workforce Exploration Skills Training (WEST) program at Northwest Community College School of Exploration & Mining (NWCC SEM). The morning began with a traditional welcome to friends and family of graduates from Chief Timberwolf (Mabel Forsyth) of the Wet'suwet'en Nation, followed by inspiring speeches from Chief Nam'ox (John Ridsdale), Smithers Mayor Taylor Bachrach, Smithers Exploration Group Director Christine Ogryzlo, and NWCC SEM Industry Liaison Tony Harris.  "You've opened the door here," said Ogryzlo in her address, "Now you must step through it, and never stop opening doors."
 
After seven weeks of hard work in camp concluding with a week of intense fieldwork experience on

Mya Dixon, WEST 2012 graduate

a mineral claim near Chapman Lake, students were proud and a few tears were shed from the podium. Coming from communities all across British Columbia, WEST graduates are armed with skills and training honed to meet the needs of the minerals and natural resources industries and these students will be quickly pulled into the workforce. Since 2004, NWCC SEM has graduated more than 900 students, and more than 70 percent of these have found employment or pursued further education.

WEST provides positive outcomes for students, communities and industry. Students are empowered with skills and positive self regard necessary to strive in the industry. Upon graduation, they have already proven themselves able to handle the conditions they will face in a work environment. For the communities they return to, these students build capacity to engage with projects taking place in their territories and participate in responsible resource development. Graduates act as role models to their families and community.

George Reid, WEST 2012 graduate

For industry, graduates are primed for successful employment. They have been through a rigorous interview process before being accepted into this demanding program. With feedback from industry, the program accurately reflects the training needs of industry for entry level position, and all graduates are able to meet these demands. "This is the most intense seven-week interview process anyone might be expected to go through," says Harris of the program.

Strong relationships with industry partners is key to the success of NWCC SEM programs. The Smithers Exploration Group is NWCC SEM's primary industry partner and provides the camp where training occurs. The advice and advocacy from the SEM Program Advisory Committee, which has strong industry representation, also ensures that NWCC SEM continues to deliver cutting edge innovative training as needs of industry change.  Special thanks are due to Riverside Resources for donating the space for students to practise their skills during the 7-day fieldwork practicum.

Anderson Leung, Prospertors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) award recipient for 2012.

Every year, the Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC) awards a $500 bursary  to a graduate from each WEST cohort who demonstrates exceptional leadership and academic excellence. NWCC was delighted to present Anderson Leung with this award to honour his leadership, humour, and constant dedication to excellence.  Leung achieved the highest overall academic standing of any NWCC SEM graduate on record, and plans to continue his training to become a geologist after spending the summer working. During the 7-week program the students were honoured to receive a motivational seminar from the Patrick McCandless, VP of Exploration for Imperial Metals.  McCandless, a strong supporter of the innovative training model employed by NWCC SEM, spoke highly of Leung, "I will be supporting and tracking his career growth and development knowing he is going to be a rocket in our industry."

NWCC is a valuable community asset impacting the lives of students and our communities. Through its nine campuses, 500-plus employees and an annual injection of more than $30 million in the local economy, NWCC is an economic engine supporting the many communities that look to us to provide innovative programs and services.

 

NWCC students earn national awards

TERRACE – A half dozen Northwest Community College (NWCC) students have been awarded 2011-12 scholarships from Indspire, a national charitable organization formerly known as the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF).

The deserving winners from NWCC are:

Evelyne Fowler, Terrace – $1,500 to complete a one-year Applied Business Technology program at NWCC (pictured with NWCC President Dr. Denise Henning, right).

Cecilia Morgan, Prince Rupert – $1,300 to continue in the second year of a three-year University Credit - Associate of Science Degree program at NWCC

Theresa Quock, Terrace – $1,200 to complete a one-year Automotive Service Technician Foundations program at NWCC

Kelvin Robinson, Terrace – $500 to complete the final year of a two-year First Nations Fine Arts program at NWCC

Lee Russ, Masset – $800 to complete the final year of a two-year First Nations Fine Arts program at NWCC

Robert White, Prince Rupert – $2,800 to complete the final year of a two-year First Nations Fine Arts program at NWCC

NWCC strives to keep its students in tune of any and all applicable financial awards and bursaries, which facilitate access to post-secondary education and act as an incentive for student excellence.

Robinson, a Nuxalk originally from Bella Coola on BC's central coast, used his award to help pay for his diploma year in the First Nations Fine Arts program at NWCC's Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art. Robinson recently celebrated his graduation from the program, which he says has been a life-changer.

"I feel like with what I have learned in the First Nations Fine Arts program, I am really just finding myself," said Robinson. "I'm discovering the purpose of the art."

Robinson adds the skills he acquired at the School will serve him well in his goal to become a respected artist on the Northwest Coast.

Indspire has evolved into the largest non-governmental funding body for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis post-secondary students across Canada. Based in Ontario, Indspire is described as being dedicated to raising funds to deliver programs that provide the necessary tools for Indigenous peoples, especially youth, to achieve their potential. In total, Indspire has disbursed over $49 million to 14,000-plus recipients since its inception and offers financial assistance (scholarships and bursaries) through four major categories: Post Secondary Education, Fine Arts, Health Careers, and Oil & Gas Aboriginal Trades & Technology.

Pictured above is NWCC President Dr. Denise Henning, centre, flanked by two 2011-12 Indspire scholarship winners, Robert White, second from left and Kelvin Robinson, second from right. With them are Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art instructors Ken McNeil, far left, and Dean Heron, far right.

Member of Lake Babine Nation receives CAMA bursary

SMITHERS –A proud member of the Lake Babine Nation is the recipient of a $3,000 Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association (CAMA) bursary.

Richie Dominic Jr., grandson of Kathy Dominic and son of Richard Dominic Sr., will use the bursary to complete his Associate of Arts degree specializing in Archeology and Cultural Resource Management at Northwest Community College.

SEM instructor Richard Jenne said, “Richie has consistently stood out both academically and in the workplace. From his first training in the Environmental Monitor Assistant Program (EMAP), through his work as a Cultural Resources Field Assistant, Drillers Helper and, most recently, Team Leader, in NWCC’s Workforce Exploration and Skills Training program, Richie has shown an amazing work ethic and aptitude for work in the mining and exploration industry. I couldn’t think of a more deserving student to receive a CAMA bursary."

In his application for the bursary, Dominic wrote, “Archeology and Cultural Resource Management have become a passion of mine since I was first introduced to the field. I am interested in understanding my own cultural origins and traditional knowledge and passing this information onto my peers and community members.”

Tracey McKay (Nisga’a) and Michelle Blackburn (Tahltan) were the previous recipients of the CAMA bursary.

CAMA is an Aboriginal, non-profit organization which seeks to increase the understanding of the minerals industry, Aboriginal mining and Aboriginal communities' paramount interests in lands and resources.

Congrats to Michelle Blackburn for receiving $3k CAMA Bursary!

Michelle Blackburn, flanked by her friend Colleen Skubovius (left) and daughter Alabama Quock (right), proudly holds an envelope containing her $3,000 Canadian Aboriginal Minerals Association (CAMA) bursary cheque. Tracy McIntyre (right) of Northwest Community College presented the cheque to Blackburn.

There's still one bursary left! Click here to read more about the  CAMA bursaries...