Richard Bell: Pride in the Trades

Richard Bell’s teaching career started with a question. When he was a student, what did he want to get out of it?

“Having instructors who care means a lot,” he decided, an attitude that shapes his time in the classroom and that he sees reflected throughout Northwestern Polytechnic. Richard is an instructor at the Fairview campus in the School of Skilled Trades and a recent recipient of NWP’s Outstanding Teaching Award. He views his students as individuals striving to build and improve their careers, and his role is to collaborate with learners and colleagues to make that happen.

“We’re all here to learn,” says Richard. 

“We’re all learning the pipe trades together. We’re learning a new language together.”

His journey through the trades began back in 2000 in his hometown of Calgary. He began as a plumber and gained residential and commercial skills (along with industrial and rural experience including septic fields) on the way to becoming a Red Seal Endorsed (RSE) journeyperson. He added steamfitting and pipefitting to his toolkit a few years later.

“The skills complement each other, but it humbled me too,” Richard reflects. He learned that each trade means new materials, procedures and hazards. He ably managed the transition, but he brings that experience into his teaching. “If something was hard for me, it might be for students too.” 

Richard next set his sights on the Process Piping Drafting program, which was then offered at SAIT, and required him to upgrade some 30-level high school courses. He graduated in the top three of his class, but as industry demand declined, Richard refocused on plumbing – and a new role as a plumbing instructor at NWP that began in early 2019.

Richard describes himself as goal-oriented, but lifelong learner would also apply. “Every time I finished school, I said I was never going back,” he laughs. “And now look at me.”

Collaboration plays a significant role in Richard’s philosophy. He draws on his own experiences in the trades to inform his approach to working with his students. “When I became a journeyperson, I treated apprentices as Robin to my Batman,” he says. “We’re a team. I got better results with that.”

As an instructor, he enjoys passing on little tricks that make work smoother and yield stronger results. “Some like to keep their secrets,” he jokes, “I like to relay them. I’m not taking them to my grave!” He’s pleased to have teaching partners in the pipe trades who feel the same way and who work together to support student and department success. “We’re trying to create the perfect environment for learning,” says Richard.

Richard’s message to students is that they’ll get out of the course what they put into it. “This is your career. This is your pride,” he says. He acknowledges that the trades can be challenging, which he sees as another reason to appreciate them as a career. 

“You can be truly proud when you get your journeyman ticket. You are a skilled tradesperson.”

Richard and his family appreciate the quality of life found in Fairview. His young son is in soccer and skating; Richard’s curling team made it to the finals this year; and he plays softball with his wife, who has established a successful dog grooming business.

“I just try to do my job – I try to help others as I would want them to help me,” says Richard when asked what his teaching award means to him. He’s thrilled that his colleagues chose to nominate him, and humbled to be recognized. With a teaching style described as accessible, respectful and practical, it’s clear that Richard is an outstanding teacher and a valuable member of the NWP community.