Gerry Brymer Receives the 2020 Darryl Cruickshank Red Seal Industry Award
Feb 19, 2021
In a virtual ceremony on December 1, 2020, the CCDA awarded Gerry Brymer the Darryl Cruickshank Red Seal Industry Award. Named to honour the life-long impact of the late Darryl Cruickshank, the award recognizes an individual from industry who has made an outstanding contribution to the promotion or development of apprenticeship training in Canada.
Gerry, a Red Seal Heavy Duty Equipment Technician working with Toromont CAT, was selected for the award based on his extensive work and volunteer history, contributing to the next generation of skilled tradespersons. As an instructor at Toromont CAT in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia for the past 25 years, Gerry works hard to ensure his students receive modern and engaging technical training. He also works closely with trade schools, providing the instructors with training annually and helping to secure equipment, tooling and parts to use during classes. Gerry is known for being a mentor on the worksite and in community-building activities like skills competitions.
For more than a decade, Gerry has participated in provincial and national technical committees with Skills Canada. He assists in crafting meaningful challenges for the annual skills competitions, which he also judges. In 2017 and 2019, Gerry was a Canadian ambassador to the WorldSkills competition, where he was instrumental in developing and judging the Heavy Vehicle Technology challenges.
Presenting the award in person was delayed by the pandemic, but Marjorie Davison, CEO of the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency and CCDA member, was able to visit Toromont CAT in early February 2021 to give Gerry the award in front of his colleagues. Congratulations Gerry, and thank you for your incredible contributions to your industry and community.