Plumbing and Pipe Trades Foundation, Certificate

Originally from the Cowichan Valley, Darren relocated to Victoria after learning his trade in the high-rise construction market in Vancouver during the 90s.

After completing a successful apprenticeship with the United Association, Darren was named his Local’s top apprentice and he quickly starting running jobs in the busy downtown commercial construction market. Not long after, he was offered a teaching opportunity in Burnaby. “It was a huge risk at that point in my career, but it changed my life forever and I’ll never regret taking that chance”.

Darren has now been a Piping Instructor since 2002, and was fortunate to join Camosun College in 2008. He has Red Seal Certifications as Plumber and Steamfitter/Pipefitter and holds additional qualifications as a Class A Gasfitter, Cross Connection Control Tester, Rainwater Harvesting Designer and Solar Thermal Installer. He has served as the Chair of the BC Piping Trades Articulation Committee, and is a member of the Education Committee for the BC Building Official’s Association.

A happily married father of two boys, Darren spends his extra time volunteering as a coach. When time permits, you’ll find him grilling meat on his back deck in Saanich.

After several years working in the restaurant industry Andrea decided that it was time for a career change, she enrolled in the Pipe Trade Foundations program at Camosun College in 2006.  She obtained her Red Seal as a Plumber, and Class B Gas ticket in 2011.  She also holds a BCWWA Cross Connection Tester Certification.  During her career in the field, she was able to work for employers that allowed her to experience the full diversity of the trade which included commercial, residential, and service work in both plumbing and gas fitting. 

Andrea joined the faculty in the Pipe Trades Department at Camosun in 2018 and is passionate about sharing her knowledge with students.  When not teaching or plumbing she enjoys time with her family, playing soccer, collecting vinyl records and cooking amazing meals.

Born and raised in Victoria, I completed my Plumbing Apprenticeship here at Camosun College in 2000 where I received my Red Seal Plumbing Ticket and a Class B Gas Ticket. Following this, I spent the next 18 years of my career primarily in the construction industry here in Victoria with the majority of that time acting as the mechanical foreman for many larger projects around the city. In addition I have spent some of my extra time furthering my education and diversity within the piping trades by attaining my Pipe/Steam Fitting Red Seal ticket and attaining my Levels 1 and 2 Plumbing Inspector certificates. In October of 2018, after being offered a job instructing within the Plumbing & Pipe Trades Department here at Camosun, I made a career decision to join a great team of fellow instructors where I now enjoy sharing the knowledge I have attained with the next generation of students.

Ron’s trade experience began on Vancouver Island in Parksville and Qualicum beach in residential construction with his father, a red seal carpenter. During the summer of the tenth grade Ron worked full time in the roofing trade with a small company focused on quality and customer satisfaction, this continued until after graduating from Ballenas Secondary School in 1998.

Entering the pipe trades in 2000 Ron started his career as a Sprinkler Fitting apprentice and became a Red Seal Sprinkler Fitter graduating at the top of his class in 2004. With a passion to learn Ron became a class B Gas Fitter and a Red Seal Plumber in 2009. After becoming an RSE Plumber Ron achieved his Red Seal certification as a Steamfitter-Pipefitter in 2012. Ron started at Camosun College in fall of 2012 as a pipe trades instructor and in 2014 became certified as a class A Gas fitter. Ron graduated from the United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters Instructor Training Program in 2016, and in 2017 completed an associates degree is Applied Science from Washtenaw Community College in Ann arbor Michigan.

Began trades training here at Camosun in the Entry Level Training program in 1992.

Field experience in plumbing and gas residential and commercial sector in Victoria as a UA 324 member. Worked in the industrial sector in both Saskatchewan and Alberta’s oil and gas, to support a challenge of the steamfitter IP.

Began instruction in 2010 in North Island College before joining the Camosun team in 2014.

Professional interests include renewable/green resources for heating and cooling.

After completing his Red Seal at SAIT, Flynn has worked in the HVAC and refrigeration industry in Alberta specializing in service on commercial and industrial equipment.  He also has experience in controls and automation transitioning pneumatics to DDC as well as sales and technical support.

I attended Camosun’s Entry Level Training (Foundations) program for Plumbing in 2006 and achieved my Red Seal in Plumbing, as well as my Class B Gas Certificate in March 2010. I completed my Red Steal in Pipe/Steam Fitting in 2014.

My passion for the trade has been developed over 16 years working in the Commercial, Institutional and Service Industries on a wide variety of projects from condos to hospitals and waste water treatment plants before joining Camosun College as a full-time instructor in March 2021. My field work also introduced me to a variety of specialized piping systems including marine, medical gas, stainless, and double-containment piping. My current trade-related hobby is learning about how technology is being incorporated into our trade with Robotic Total Stations, 3D Scanners and Construction Modeling software. I enjoy sharing my passion for the trades with my students.
 

In my free time, you’ll find my family and me camping, skiing and enjoying this amazing place we call home.

Steve started down his mechanical trades career path as a 4th class power engineer working for some iconic local institutions such as the Empress Hotel and Camosun College.  He focused on small to large scale commercial HVAC and building automation controls.  Along the way, he got his Backflow testing, Gas Appliance Service Certificate, gas contractor license and started a small HVAC contracting and backflow testing business.  In time, he achieved his Red Seal in Refrigeration and Air Conditioning and his Gasfitter B Certificate.

When the opportunity arose for instructing at the college there were no second thoughts.  Steven has always been found it rewarding to build people up and teaching was always a dream of his.  He wants everyone to know that he would not be doing what he loves today without being surrounded and supported over the years by such amazing coworkers, instructors, and most importantly, his family.