The Halton District School Board is proud to announce that Wade Richardson, Teacher and Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) Lead for the HDSB, has received the Lifetime Membership Award from the Ontario Council for Technology Education (OCTE).
The award recognizes an individual who has made a "substantial contribution to advancing Technological Education in Ontario through work with the Ontario Council for Technology Education over a dedicated period of time."
"I'm honoured to have received this Lifetime Membership Award from OCTE," Richardson says. "It is so satisfying to know the difference that we, as an organization, have made to furthering technological education in Ontario, and I'm thrilled to have played a part in that alongside so many talented, dedicated and devoted professionals."
"The Halton District School Board is so proud of Wade for receiving this award," says Nick Frankovich, Superintendent of Education for the HDSB. "His commitment to advancing technological education, not just in Halton but across the province, has been exemplary. He collaborates with his department to ensure secondary program colleagues have a voice in supporting technological education, and they couldn't be happier for Wade. He has accomplished this as a teacher and system-lead to the benefit of countless students, and we extend our congratulations to him for this provincial recognition."
Over the years, Richardson has worked in many positions on the executive board for OCTE including conference organizer, stakeholder relations, OYAP representative and is currently the Chair. He has worked on many projects with OCTE over the years to support technological education. Some of the projects have been creating supporting resources for teachers, such as lesson plans and student information resources.
"Wade connected our organizations with consistent messaging and advocacy through opportunities such as the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development Youth Advisory initiative, which ultimately led to very important policy changes for education including the introduction of the compulsory Technological Education credit for all Ontario students," according to OCTE.
"Wade is a well-liked and effective leader and supporter of Technological Education in Ontario. The future of OCTE and Tech Ed in the province are in great hands with the leadership that Wade offers."