Media Releases

On March 9, 2012, Ron Morancy of Confederation College, will be inducted into the Klaus Woerner Skilled Trades Hall of Fame

Mr. Morancy will be honoured along with three other Ontarians at Skills Canada‐Ontario’s annual Celebration Gala. The award is the organization’s tribute to late CEO and founder of ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. and is presented annually in recognition of individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of skilled trades and technologies. Inductees have typically made a mark in such areas as invention, innovation or advocacy in education/training, entrepreneurship, industry or leadership.

The 2012 Hall of Fame Award recipients are as follows:

Ron Morancy, Program Coordinator, Power Engineering, Confederation College, Thunder Bay
Nominated by Patricia Lang, Past President, Confederation College.

Ron, a licensed Stationary (Power) Engineer – 2nd Class, joined the faculty at Confederation College in 1976. His exceptional leadership, teaching and administrative talents were the driving force and key to the development of the college’s Power Engineering program and most recently their state‐of‐the‐art Trades and Technology (TnT) initiative.

Over the past 35 years, Ron has worked diligently to ensure the program’s curriculum has stayed current to industry standards and has been instrumental in setting the bar for provincial and national certification and educational materials. To meet the ongoing high demand for qualified engineers, Ron has expanded the scope of this sought‐after program, maintaining student success and ensuring students receive quality learning experiences. He has also set up part‐time power engineering courses throughout remote northwestern Ontario, enabling workers across that region to prepare for their certification exams despite distance barriers that can be a challenge in the north. Ron’s countless achievements, commitment, and professionalism towards students and the college will be his legacy long after his retirement.

The other three esteemed inductees for the 2012 Klaus Woerner Hall of Fame Award are:

Mike Chaimovitz, Past Partner, TEGS Tools, Hamilton, ON – This induction into the Hall will be honoured posthumously. Nominated by Ken Mercer, Professor, Mohawk College

Bruce Gadal, Manager Engineering & Skilled Trades Academic Support and Facilities, St. Clair College, Windsor, ON
Nominated by Waseem Habash, Associate Vice President, Academic Operations, St. Clair College

Brian Newman, Skills Training Specialist, Babcock & Wilcox Canada, Cambridge,ON
Nominated by John De Boer, Welding Instructor, Babcock & Wilcox Canada

The Hall of Fame recipients will be honoured at the annual Skills Canada – Ontario Fundraising Dinner,
Building Futures One Dream at a Time

Proceeds from this evening event support the Skills Canada – Ontario Bursary. Established in 2002, the bursary provides financial assistance to students advancing from the Ontario Technological Skills Competition to the national competition. The bursary assists with the travel costs for each member of Team Ontario. This year members will be travelling to Edmonton, AB, in May, for the 18th Skills Canada National Competition. In addition, the bursary financially assists students participating in other Skills Canada – Ontario programs where costs may be a prohibitive factor.

For additional information, to schedule an interview or to make a donation to the bursary, please contact Carolyn Hartlen, Director of Public Relations at (519) 749‐9899 ext. 231 or email carolynh@skillscanada.com