Photo courtesy Winnipeg Free Press.

Red River College is proud to congratulate plumbing instructor W. Hal Hokanson, who received one of two Instructor of the Year honours handed out at this week’s 2011 Apprenticeship Awards of Distinction.

Held annually by Apprenticeship Manitoba and the Apprenticeship and Certification Board, the awards celebrate those who’ve shared their time and talent in training apprentices, thus contributing to the development of certified journeypersons with a special passion and pride for their trade.

“Plumbers are the protectors of the potable water system in Canada. If we don’t do our jobs properly, people can die,” Hokanson told the Winnipeg Free Press. “I spend a lot of time discussing ethics and the responsibilities of what we’re doing with my students. There’s a lot of discovery, a lot of moments of enlightenment. On the job, they learn how, but they rarely discuss why.”

Hokanson, who’s only been teaching at RRC for four years, has already been nominated twice for Instructor of the Year honours. Click here to read a full profile that ran in the Winnipeg Free Press.