BCIT piping competition showcases skills

The inaugural piping competition at the B.C. Institute of Technology on April 13-14 garnered two students a year’s worth of learning.

Trades Training

BURNABY

The inaugural piping competition at the B.C. Institute of Technology on April 13-14 garnered two students a year’s worth of learning.

Kyle Morin of the Entry Level Trades Training (ELTT) program, currently a Level 1 apprentice through the Aboriginal Community Employment Services Society, and Ryan Comeau, a Level 2 apprentice, both won grand prizes of a year’s free tuition in their respective programs at BCIT.

The piping competition drew 15 students whose work was assessed by certified plumbing inspectors from local municipalities.

Judging criteria was rigid, with students judged to within an eighth of an inch on criteria including the measure, cut and fit of their piping.

ELTT students tackled a project requiring gas piping and water piping for a hot water tank and basin, while upper-level students were charged with assembling the letters BCIT using the various piping systems typically used in industry.

All systems were pressure-tested to ensure they met current standards.

“It’s really quite a good learning experience,” said Bill Evans, chief instructor in BCIT’s School of Construction and the Environment.

Morin and other entry level students, for example, were competing with skills they might have only acquired a few days before. Success depended on their ability to apply the knowledge with little prior experience, a good demonstration of their practical abilities.

Students worked indepen-dently of one another, Evans added, making the experience an exercise in on-the-job confidence. In addition to tuition with a value of approximately $700, participating students received a selection of prizes donated by Watts Canada, Apollo Valves and Milwaukee Tools.

The BCIT piping program typically has 550 students a year. There are 80 students at any given time in the ELTT program, and an additional 80 to 90 in the apprenticeship program.