The BCIT Centre for Workplace Education is pleased to announce that their nominee for the 2018 BC Association for Co-operative Education (ACE) Industry Partner of the Year award was awarded to Don Macdonald, President of Rovalution Automotive. Don is not only a representative of the many entrepreneurial employers who hire BCIT co-op students but he is also the first winner of this provincial award to represent the trades sector.
Don has a long history with BCIT, from being an alumnus of the Automotive Service Technician Co-op program to serving on the BCIT Automotive Program Advisory Council and employing co-op students within his own company. Co-op students who work with him receive a wide range of opportunities to develop their practical skills.
“Don represents the new breed of co-op employers: he is a successful entrepreneur who understands the millennial generation, and passes on his knowledge and expertise while helping them to succeed in his career. Since starting his own company, Don has consistently hired BCIT Co-op students and several of them have stayed on with him in permanent, full-time positions upon graduation,” comments Cynthia Maclean, program head of the Co-operative Education program.
“Don is representative of the hundreds of employers that each year partner with our Centre to hire Co-op students and provide them with paid, career-relevant experience,” adds Cynthia.
From starting in the industry as a result of a co-op experience to now passing on his knowledge and overseeing the next generation of students during their work-terms, Don has come full circle in his career.
“My co-op terms at Rovalution Automotive absolutely complemented my education at BCIT,” comments Julian Friesen, BCIT alumnus, Automotive Services Technician co-op diploma program. “The work I did there enabled me to transfer my academic knowledge into practical experience, and learn things that you only can in a work environment. Don is very knowledgeable, reasonable, and a really good instructor – he’s been great to work alongside with – and as an employer, it makes him that much better.”
Congratulations Don!