Published on September 02, 2024
Nurturing student potential – the skilled people needed for industry – has been at the heart of The Ledcor Group’s decades-long support. To that end, the company has invested in endowments to ensure generations of students have access to scholarships far into the future.
“When I reflect on Ledcor’s support of my academic journey, I am filled with gratitude and a profound sense of purpose,” first-year Construction Engineering Technology student Mark Batacan tells a roomful of fellow scholarship recipients, NAIT staff and Ledcor employees at the annual Student Awards Celebration in November 2023.
Over the past 15 years, Ledcor and NAIT have gathered at this event to celebrate their partnership while shining a light on student talent by recognizing the recipients of Ledcor’s Innovation Scholarships and Trevor Korol Memorial Awards.
Ledcor, a longstanding industry partner, established their first scholarship at NAIT in 1991. Now, over 3 decades later, that number has grown to include more than 200 students recognized for their community involvement and leadership in the Accounting, Construction Engineering Technology, Civil Engineering Technology and Occupational Health and Safety programs.
For Batacan, the award provided him with financial support to continue his studies. Although he still has another year to go until graduation, it’s given him the boost of confidence to one day pursue his accreditation as a professional engineer.
“Receiving the Ledcor award signifies a connection, a partnership in my educational journey,” says Batacan. “It's a reminder that someone out there believes in my potential, and that belief fuels my determination to succeed.”
For Ledcor employees, it’s been meaningful to them to meet recipients in person and hear about their career aspirations.
“You can see the excitement – it's awesome to be there and know that support is helping them out in whatever way that it can,” says project director Trevor Messal, who has attended several of the events throughout his 23-year long career at Ledcor.
Skilled graduates key to innovation
Through their investment in students, Ledcor hopes to nurture potential and help educate the skilled people needed for the construction and engineering industry. The company has hired hundreds of NAIT alumni in business, applied sciences, skills trades and engineering technology.
"Student awards are a key part of getting those people to the finish line. They may miss out on education and growing a career in a fantastic industry without them,” says Messal.
Claire Seo (Occupational Health and Safety '19) is another prime example of Ledcor’s support of these skilled graduates. She completed her studies after receiving the Ledcor Innovation Scholarship in 2018.
Employees help energize Ledcor’s philanthropy and community support
Through their Ledcor Cares initiatives, Ledcor’s supported more than 200 non-profits across North America (which also includes an endowed chair for oil sands applied research at NAIT).
Throughout the partnership, Ledcor employees, too, have played an active role in helping NAIT students succeed – whether that’s been by volunteering their time on advisory committees, making employer-matched donations, or fundraising for student awards.
In addition to the Ledcor Innovation Scholarships endowments, over the past 16 years, the company has supported NAIT and other post-secondaries through the annual Ledcor Korol Cup hockey tournament. The fundraiser was named in memory of Trevor Korol, a NAIT Construction Engineering Technology graduate and Ledcor employee who tragically died in a plane crash in 2008.
“It’s been a way that we keep Trevor on everyone’s mind and remember his hardworking and entrepreneurial attitude,” says project director Trevor Messal, who worked with Korol for several years.
“From the top down, there are not many people who don’t know about the Trevor Korol Awards and what it stands for at our company.”
Like Batacan, Seo credits Ledcor for having a significant impact on her personal and professional life. As a student, she balanced full-time studies while raising two young children. Now, she’s putting her skills to work in her chosen profession.
"Highlighting that award on my resume and professional profiles has motivated me to maintain a high standard in my work,” says Seo, manager in learning and development at EPCOR. “They reflect my professionalism and potential, serving as a reminder of the excellence I strive for in my career.”
In a fast-paced industry, having graduates equipped to innovate and bring new ideas and solutions helps companies stay at the forefront of change. And it’s a source of pride for Messal to know that the company where he spent much of his career is supporting the next generation of students, as a NAIT Construction Engineering Technology alumnus himself.
“We want to help students succeed and grow,” he says. “So, when the students graduate, both NAIT and Ledcor, will help them hit the ground running."
Student success and innovation at the heart of Ledcor's support
Nurturing student potential has led the company to create endowments to ensure generations of students have access to scholarships far into the future
Share on Facebook