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Winfield, Oyama, Okanagan Centre and Carrs Landing since 1951
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2 5 0 - 76 6 - 2 0 9 9 10 9 - 9 6 8 5 H w y. 9 7 N (Winfield Plaza) Lake Country Fu s i o n S t u d i o @ s h a w. c a
June 5, 2013
Inside
Oyama Days More photos inside. ...............................
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The War Amps celebrated its 95th anniversary and Winfield’s Isabella Romei was there for the annual seminar. ...............................
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Flyers ■ Canadian Aerothermal ■ Central Windows ■ Home Depot ■ JYSK ■ Pacific National ■ Shoppers Drug Mart ■ Staples
KYLE, 15, takes the Excavator Rack’em Stack’em challenge at the Interior Heavy Equipment Operator School Open House held late last month.
CONTRIBUTED
▼ WORK SKILLS TRAINING
Hands-on experience with heavy equipment Students, potential employers as well as local politicians were in attendance as the Interior Heavy Equipment Operator School held an open house last month in Lake Country, showing off what the school has to offer to both students and businesses looking for workers who can run heavy equipment. According to the Petroleum Human Resources Council of Canada, heavy equipment operators will be in high demand in the next dec-
ade due to oil sand expansion, infrastructure growth and replacing baby boomers retiring from industry. The Interior Heavy Equipment (IHE) School in Lake Country offers training on heavy equipment and operates one of the largest training sites in Western Canada. Students are trained on full-sized machines as opposed to simulators, giving them hands-on training before they enter the workforce.
“Our benchmark is to train and produce safe, entry-level skilled operators that are ready to serve industries’ needs,” said IHE School general manager Mike Hansen. “We are experiencing a period of unprecedented growth. Our students are being trained on nothing but industry-sized full size machines learning real world tasks.” Several potential employers were on hand at the open house including Clearstream Energy, Hoban Equipment and the Sims
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OPPORTUNITIES THAT EXIST HERE FOR THOSE WILLING TO TRAVEL TO THE WORKSITES ARE PHENOMENAL. Mike Hansen, general manager
Group of Companies, while Lake Country Mayor James Baker also took in the event.
Hansen said there are many opportunities in fields such as mining and exploration for students looking for a good career. “The opportunities that exist here for those willing to travel to the worksites are phenomenal. Employers are looking for individuals with a positive attitude and sound work ethic,” added Hansen. “We place a high value on creating win-win relationships with industry representatives.” In a report tabled
by the Mining Industry Human Resources Council, expected growth in B.C. alone calls for 6,500 new jobs over the next 10 years. Data from 19 operating B.C. mines supports the highest demand for additional workers is the occupational category of heavy equipment operator. For more information on the Interior Heavy Equipment Operator School, there is more company info at www. iheschool.com.