Andrea DelCol
“Go for it! Whatever you put your mind to, you can do. I’m living proof that if you want something badly enough you can get it, and achieve it.”
Andrea DelCol, GSC, Health and Safety Advisor, Priority Mechanical Ltd.
Andrea has been faced with many occasions of adversity, but has never given up the battle to be the very best.
Andrea was once a nurse’s aid in Comox, British Columbia. Long-term prospects as a nurse turned out not to be exactly what Andrea desired in her career. She eventually earned a first aid certification and began performing first aid on a construction site in Comox. Eventually, an opportunity presented itself, which allowed her to move her career into Health and Safety.
After moving to Edmonton, Andrea started her employment with Priority Mechanical LTD. She is very happy with her decision to start anew, and has been happily employed with them for 5 years. Andrea is a health and safety advisor in one of the largest mechanical plumbing companies in northern Alberta. She explains that it makes a world of difference having the support of her employer for her professional development, which has in turn allowed her to strive and achieve her career goals. Her company sponsored her to earn her NSCO, GSC and other professional development she needed to be successful in her role.
Andrea learnt about Gold Seal Certification by someone she considers her mentor, Tammy Hawkins from the Alberta Construction and Safety Association. In January 2015 Andrea happily earned her Gold Seal Certification. She feels a strong sense of pride for her achievement, especially speaking as a woman working in a male dominated industry, but as also having been a single mother who’s struggled with poverty in the past. Earning her GSC is more than a symbol of her competencies in her employment, but has also become a symbol of hard work and striving for amelioration and circumstantial betterment.
Taking a step towards professional development such as earning her Gold Seal Certification, Andrea now feels that the certification allowed her work ethic to be held at a higher standard. The certification has made her feel that her professional advice is valued on a job-site, more now than ever before. Finally, the Gold Seal Certification has provided her with credibility in a very competitive workforce.