Seven students graduate the Heavy Equipment Technician program in Ross River
ROSS RIVER- It was standing room only at the Ross River arena last Friday lunchtime as the community gathered to celebrate seven students graduating the Heavy Equipment Technician pre-apprentice, Skills for Employment, and dual credit training programs.
Nicole Etzel, Matthew Hersom-Petersen, Dylan Loblaw, and Keifer Sterriah graduated from the Pre-Apprenticeship Program. Robby Dick and Bradley Sather graduated from the Skills program. 16-year-old Crandall Hebb graduated from the dual credit program.
The students are now preparing to challenge the Heavy Equipment Technician Apprenticeship Level I (first year) exam in the next two weeks. The three streams were taught alongside each other in the Mobile Trades Training Trailer which has been located beside the Ross River arena since January.
The HET programs provide safety certifications and transferable skills to the students which will enable them to continue onto level two apprentice training at Ayamdigut campus in September, or find entry-level employment maintaining heavy equipment in the mining, highways, or construction industries.
The students and HET instructor Van Sternbergh have overcome the challenge of minus 50 Celsius temperatures during the winter term and completing the programs without the support of the Yukon College Dena Cho Kanadi campus in Ross River since the closure of the building shared by the campus, library and school in January.
“The success of the mobile trades training so far is due to the strong partnerships with Yukon First Nations and local industry,” said Dr. Chris Hawkins, Yukon College Vice President of Research and Community Engagement, one of four College staff who traveled to the program graduation. “The students enjoyed the hands-on training they were able to receive right in their community, and are thrilled to have successfully completed their programs.”
The three stream offering of the HET training was delivered by Yukon College’s Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining in partnership with Selwyn Chihong Mining Ltd., and with support from the Ross River Dena Council.
The Mobile Trades Training Trailer has provided training to students in Dawson City, Pelly Crossing and Ross River since being launched in December 2013. The 53-foot-long trailer can be equipped for classes in welding, electrical, millwright, heavy equipment technician, and piping, with an onboard diesel generator to provide power for heating, lighting, equipment and wireless Internet to the 1,048 square feet of instructional space. Funding for the $1.8 million trailer purchase by the College was provided by Yukon Education and CanNor.