PVNC Catholic Student Success Consultant Receives Prestigious Dick Hopkins Award from Skills Ontario

May 19, 2026

The Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington (PVNC) Catholic District School Board is incredibly proud to announce that Student Success Consultant Alex Duketow has been honored with the prestigious Dick Hopkins Award at the annual Skills Ontario event, held at the Toronto Congress Centre on May 5, 2026.

This provincial accolade is presented annually to recognize one leader across Ontario for their exceptional role in the advancement of technological education.

Reflecting on the honour, Alex credited the collaborative culture of PVNC Catholic and the dedicated educators he works alongside every day.

“When I learned that I was receiving this award, I right away was reminded of how fortunate I am to work with our school board leadership and a team of teachers who so strongly value the skilled trades career pathways and who constantly go the extra mile to create opportunities for our youth,” he said. “I also thought of the great tech teachers across the province who have come together under the Ontario Council for Tech Education and the SHSM/OYAP banner and work as a team to put our students on the leading edge of skill development and who work hard to support all tech teachers in Ontario. I am so grateful to the teams that I am blessed to work with and what keeps us going is seeing one student at a time step into a fulfilling future.”

Alex’s nomination highlights the immense impact he has made right here in our board communities, as well as his leadership across the province. 

Within PVNC Catholic, Alex has been a driving force in advancing Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) and applied trades programming, while generously providing mentorship to other school boards looking to expand their own technical education offerings.

His commitment to building strong community partnerships has opened  doors for our students. Alex spearheaded “Build and Soar”—a unique, wage-subsidized trades placement program created in collaboration with the Peterborough Kawartha Home Builders’ Association, Junior Achievement of North and Eastern Ontario,  and the local aviation industry. He has also worked closely with the Canadian Welding Bureau Foundation and the Carpenters Union to develop specialized training camps and pre-apprenticeship programs.

Constantly looking for innovative ways to reach students, Alex also developed an evening online flight simulator training co-op program, which is now available to high school students across all of Ontario. His expertise and leadership further extend to his provincial role with the Ontario Council for Technological Education (OCTE).