TRAINING No time to rest
BCIT grads snapped up by eager employers
O
ut of 18 graduates of the Nautical Sciences and Marine Engineering Class of 2014, 16 already have jobs waiting for them. And in a first for any BCIT graduate, Deck Officer Cody Kirlik was presented with a company award from Transport
Desgagnés President and General Manager Serge Le Guellec for completing all of his seatime with the company. The convocation ceremony was held on July 25, 2014 with family, friends, BCIT faculty and an impressive number of industry representatives in attendance.
Photos courtesy BCIT
Marine Engineering Class of 2014: Back row: Dr. Richard Wiefelspuett (A/Dean, BCIT Marine Campus), Matthew Schulte, Scott Dielissen, David Mehain, Kim Dotto (Dean, BCIT School of Transportation). Front row: Laurie Sterritt (Board of Governors, BCIT), Ian Johnson, Doug Ubell, Won Shin, Jordan Derrick, Paul Dangerfield (VP, Education, Research and International BCIT).
Nautical Sciences Class of 2014: Back row: Danny Lundstrom, Philip Sutherland, Reid Graham. Middle row: Dr. Richard Wiefelspuett (A/Dean, BCIT Marine Campus), Michael Fischer, Cody Kirlik, Austin Smith, Robert LeGars, Kim Dotto (Dean, BCIT School of Transportation). Front row: Laurie Sterritt (Board of Governors, BCIT), Mark Spence, Brock Kitzel, Andrew Barry, Alexander MacPhee, Paul Dangerfield (VP, Education, Research and International BCIT). 40 BC Shipping News September 2014
Master of Ceremonies duties were carried out admirably by Captain Brian Young, Director, Marine Operations, Pacific Pilotage Authority Canada. A succession of notable speakers, including MP Andrew Saxton, Laurie Steritt (BCIT Board of Governers), Paul Dangerfield (Vice President of Education, Research and International, BCIT), Dr. Richard Wiefelspuett (Associate Dean, BCIT Marine Campus), Chief Instructors Captain Agnelo Pereira (Nautical Sciences) and Sanjeev Sarwal (Marine Engineering) and Jeff Otto (Co-operative Education Co-ordinator), passed along words of wisdom and advice. Andrew Saxton, Member of Parliament for North Vancouver, was the first to congratulate the grads and he reminded them of the importance of the marine industry to Canada and the new opportunities that are opening up through increased trade and increased shipping routes in the Arctic. Saxton told the group that they should be proud of their hard work and, as the next generation of Canadian seafarers, be proud in representing Canada. Laurie Sterritt noted that BCIT’s success “is a measure of your success”. She quoted Mark Twain in summing up her message: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Subsequent speakers carried much the same message: Paul Dangerfield encouraged grads to stay in touch with each other, learning from his own experiences as a colonel in the army that the relationships developed during training were ones that lasted a lifetime. Dr. Richard Wiefelspuett recommended that they continue to learn: “You have chosen a career in an industry that is constantly changing,” he said. “But more than technical skills are needed. You need the soft skills as well — communication, teamwork, adaptability, problem solving, critical observation and conflict resolution. Technical skills will get you the job interview, but it is the soft skills that will get you the job.”