TRU Students Tops in Trades and Journalism

May 26, 2009

Contact: Les Weibe, Senior Instructor, TRU Welding Trades, (p) 250.828.5105, (c) 250.320.0414

TRU students are winning accolades across the country for efforts that range from electronics and welding to reporting.

Two TRU School of Trades and Technology students won gold at the National Skills Canada competition while a Bachelor of Journalism student won the Canadian Association of Journalists' Student Award of Excellence.

In photo: Les Weibe, TRU Welding Instructor; Evan Butchart,Welding; Daniel Hall and Al Green, TRU Educator Emeritus bring home gold medals from the 15th Annual Skills Canada Competiton in Charlottetown, PEI.

WeldingTRU Welding student Evan Butchart won the gold medal in the post-secondary welding 15th Annual Canadian Skills Competition held in Charlottetown, PEI, May 20 to May 23, 2009.  The 21-year-old also won first prize in the Top of Region with the highest grades of all competitors in all 40 categories in BC.

Electronics
TRU Electronics (Telecommunications and Networking (TNET)) student Daniel Hall also competed in PEI and won the gold medal in the post-secondary electronics competition.

Started in 1994, the Canadian Skills Competition (CSC) remains the only event of its kind in Canada. It is the only national, Olympic-style, multi-trade and technology competition for young students and apprentices in the country. Every year, the event brings together approximately 500 young people from all regions of Canada, along with their parents and advisors, to compete in over 40 trade and technology areas.

Journalism
The winner of the CAJ/CNW Group Student Award of Excellence in Journalism was announced at the Awards Banquet on May 23 in Vancouver. Tamara Cunningham won for her story Motel Muddle, published in April 2008 in the Kamloops Daily News. The story highlighted the plight of tenants renting hotel units by the month, unprotected by the BC Tenancy Act.