Georgian College

14 GEORGIANVIEW 2024 PRINT EDITION ALUMNI STORIES If anyone had told a young Adam Burt that he would one day build his own home, he wouldn't have believed them. But the three-bedroom, two-bathroom, 1,500-square-foot bungalow with cathedral ceiling that sits on a wooded lot has proven to him and others that he has what it takes to not only build his own home but be a site supervisor at a major construction company and build other people's residences and cottages. "I would never have been able to do it if it wasn't for my employer, Tamarack North, and Georgian College," he says. Adam struggled with math and writing in high school because of dyslexia, and at the time, he wasn't given the encouragement needed to build his confidence. "I'm 43, so I grew up in the day and age where if you had a slight learning challenge, you were not percieved as smart," he recalls. "That's what it was like when I was growing up." Right out of high school, he worked for an automotive factory and when it closed, he dabbled in different labour-intensive jobs. It wasn't until 2007, when he started as a carpenter's helper for Tamarack North, that he started to see his own potential and worth. Tamarack sends many of its labourers to Georgian to take the General Construction Carpentry Techniques – Apprenticeship program so they can then take their exam for Red Seal certification. When it was Adam's turn to go to the Muskoka Campus, he was terrified. "I ended up going and I absolutely loved it, as weird as that sounds," he says with a laugh. "This time, everything clicked. I felt like I was different for so long. In the times I grew up, that's how I was treated by teachers. But at Georgian, things were clicking. Teachers were helping me with my math. I was leaps and bounds ahead of most people in my classes." Now, as a site supervisor, Adam is a mentor to others who struggle. "There's a young lad I work with who was discouraged because he also has dyslexia. It was a really cool moment for me to be able to help him. When he told me he was dyslexic I said, 'So? So am I and I'm a supervisor of a really big company. That's not going to hold you back.'" Carpentry a blueprint to success Tamarack North has a long- standing relationship with Georgian College, both as a co-op partner and a pipeline to send multiple apprentices to the General Construction Carpentry Techniques – Apprenticeship program every year. "Our promotion of the apprenticeship stream and the availability of the training locally at our Georgian College Muskoka Campus has also been a draw for us with the recruitment of new employees. Having this campus in our area allows our employees to receive the excellent training that Georgian College provides while still allowing them to live at home and commute to campus," says Ian Holmes (class of 2010 and 2023 Premier's Award nominee). As a General Superintendent at Tamarack North and an alumnus of Georgian College, he appreciates the level of training and value that Georgian provides to our apprentices. "The technical instruction, experience, and knowledge that Georgian College supplies our apprentices is an integral part of Tamarack North's success." Alumni build careers at Tamarack North

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