MAPLE RIDGE-PITT MEADOWS SCHOOL DISTRICT
Former Westview student on the career fast track

After earning gold at the 23rd annual SkillsBC Provincial Competition in April, former Westview Secondary student Kevin Simoneau has shifted gears into a new career in the automotive industry.

Simoneau, now working full-time at West Coast Toyota in Pitt Meadows, is a recent graduate of the Auto Service Technician program at the Maple Ridge - Pitt Meadows School District (SD42). A unique partnership between BCIT and the school district allows students in the program to complete Grade 12 graduation requirements while earning post-secondary credits and certification in BCIT's Automotive Service Technician Foundations program.

In September, a group representing the school district and BCIT visited Simoneau at West Coast Toyota to present him with a medal for winning gold at the SkillsBC Provincial Competition and then finishing fifth overall at the nationals in Winnipeg. The young auto technician also received a gift certificate for new tools.

"Having watched Kevin in our regular everyday activities and during three different competitions, he is able to handle the pressure of competition and he will be able to handle the pressures of the workload in any shop," said instructor Greg Erho of the Automotive Service Technician program.

"Kevin has worked very hard to get where he is and I know that he will go far in this trade and make a good living doing so," added Erho.

Learn more about SD42's Automotive Service Technician program.

Photo: Kevin Simoneau won gold in the automotive service category at the 23rd annual SkillsBC Provincial Competition in April.