Graduates of the College of New Caledonia’s pre-apprenticeship and essential skills (PATES) program, gathered with Program Director Guy Epkens-Shaffer (centre with Hawaiian shirt) after graduation ceremonies at the First Mennonite Church in Burns Lake on June 14, 2013.
The program was developed in consultation with Hampton Affiliates (owners of Babine Forest Products and Decker Lake Forest Products), the United Steel Workers Union and former mill workers from the area.
Seventeen of the 21 graduates were former Babine mill employees. Award winners this year were: Canadian Institute of Mining Award (NCBC Branch), Graham Galloway and John Ruffel; Canfor Trades Bursary, Trevor Benson; Northern Interior Foodsafe Council and The BC Restaurant and Food Services Association Endowment Bursary, Venus Short; CNC Endowment Scholarship for Applied Business Technology, Corinne Dawson; Rick Wilsgard Endowment Scholarship, Marie Casimel; The CNC Regional Endowment Bursaries, Verna West, Karrie Roth; The Lakes District Staff Bursaries, Katrina Woodgate, Khalil Merali, Lorianna Cahoose, Rebecca Hennessy; The Berenice Haggarty Award, Scott Abraham; the Rio Tinto Memorial Scholarship, Wanda Hallgren; The Donald Redwood Annual Memorial Bursary, Jay Higginson; George D. Brown Memorial Endowment Bursary, Maureen Findlay, Robert Wingo, and Sherry Tibbetts.