Okanagan College Media Release - July 12, 2007

    

Gregory Stickney

For Gregory Stickney, the Trades Technology Teacher Education (TTTE) program could not have come faster to Okanagan College.

Since graduating from Penticton High School in 1994, Stickney aspired to become a shop teacher.  In 1994 the closest training facility was BCIT and the Okanagan native would have had to move to Burnaby, away from family and friends – something he was not prepared to do at the time.

Fortunately for Stickney, in September 2005 Okanagan College welcomed the first class of 14 TTTE students to the Kelowna campus. On June 2, 2007, 12 of those students graduated with a two-year diploma and most will continue on to pursue another 12 months of study at institutions like UBC Okanagan where they will receive the credits necessary to receive a Bachelor of Education degree and fulfill their goals of teaching trades and technologies in high schools across B.C.

“I have always wanted to be a shop teacher,” says Stickney. “When I wasn’t able to receive the training I needed close to home I decided to hone my skills in carpentry and worked in a cabinet shop. A few years ago I heard rumblings that the TTTE program might be coming to Okanagan College so I quit my job and enrolled at the College’s Penticton campus to fulfill the 30 credits of arts and science the degree requires.”

Stickney has now completed two of the three requirements to be certified as a trades and technology teacher. The three components include the two-year TTTE diploma, 30 credits of arts and science courses and completion of the 12-month Secondary Teacher Education Program (STEP), which can be taken at UBC Okanagan.  

“We were the first class of TTTE at the College so of course there were a few hiccups and kinks to be worked out,” says Stickney. “The best part of the program was the teachers I had. They were so qualified and supportive, they did their best to keep us focused and encouraged us along every step of the way.”
 
When they complete their training, Stickney and others with his credentials will have no shortage of jobs to choose from, says Dan Hurd, department head of trades and technology at Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary.

“We are facing what will be a severe shortage of trades and technology teachers in our province,” says Hurd. “The boom in the trades industry has made working in industry just too attractive for would-be teachers. That combined with the fact that many qualified teachers are being lured to the hot economy of Alberta means that we will be facing a drastic need in the near future.”

On July 9, 2007 Stickney and 11 of his classmates from Okanagan College began the STEP program at UBC Okanagan. They will take specialized courses for trades teachers and will also join other students pursing secondary teaching courses in a variety of disciplines for courses in secondary teacher training.

“Regardless of what I end up doing with my career I will never regret taking the TTTE program at Okanagan College,” says Stickney. “The knowledge and skills I am walking away with are well worth the effort I put in. I learned such a variety of skills and valuable trades – I will never take my car to another mechanic because now I can fix it myself.”

The next intake for TTTE at Okanagan College begins September 4, 2007. For more information about the program call (250) 762-5445 ext. 4424 or visit www.okanagan.bc.ca/trades.