Arnold Rumbold seeks to promote success he experienced as a tradesperson
Born on a northern Alberta homestead during the Great Depression, Arnold Rumbold knows just how valuable an education in the skilled trades can be.
The log cabin he grew up in didn’t have electricity, sparking a fascination that would lead to a life-long passion. Draining the family’s flashlight batteries in experiments with electric motors as a boy saw him sign on as a young man with a local contractor to apprentice as an electrician.
“The trades suited me really well,” says Rumbold (Honorary Electrical Installations Technology Diploma '24). He loved working with his hands as much as he did working through the calculations. “I used to do a problem just to see how the results came out.”
In time, numbers came to interest Rumbold in another way. In his mid-50s, he redirected his expertise in electricity toward building a business in project-cost estimating. “It turned out I had quite a good aptitude for it, and that became my focus.”
That focus – along with that of his late wife, Grace – also came to rest on giving back. Over the years, beneficiaries of the Rumbolds’ generosity have included organizations dedicated to health care, arts and culture, people with disabilities, and post-secondary institutes such as NAIT.
This fall, building on a long relationship with the polytechnic (which includes being named Distinguished Friend of the Institute in 2022), Rumbold donated $2.04 million to NAIT. In addition to supporting youth and wellness initiatives and a major campus project, it enables the creation of the Arnold and Grace Rumbold Leadership Awards.
At $10,000, it’s the largest single student award in NAIT’s history.
Learn more about the Arnold and Grace Rumbold Leadership Awards
Tools of success
Judging by the experience of Jessica Kelly (Electrician ’21), that gift will change lives.
At 35 years old, and finding herself in a difficult position that required her to start “all over again [and] take control of my life,” Kelly started exploring the trades with Women Building Futures. She continued her apprenticeship through NAIT.
“The last time I had been in school was a very long time [ago],” says Kelly, originally from Montreal. “Algebra and all the maths were a thing of the past.”
But she was determined to succeed – and willing to seek help. Kelly applied for the Arnold Rumbold Apprenticeship Award, receiving it in 2018.
“The last time I had been in school was a very long time [ago]. Algebra and all the maths were a thing of the past.”
“It's hard when you're starting and you have all these expenses,” she says of being a student. Apprenticing at a small company meant having to buy her own equipment. “That’s what the money went to – it all went to tools.”
But Kelly soon discovered that the benefit of the award was more than financial. To Kelly’s surprise, they reached out to her, invited her to dinner and, since then, she and Arnold have kept in touch.
“He was telling me how far I could go down this path,” says Kelly. To this day, she describes Arnold as warm and compassionate, and “a great mentor.”
“He was really hoping that [this field] would be as successful for me as it was for him.”
“The opportunities are great”
With his latest gift, Rumbold would like to see such success for many more students as well. “The opportunities are great,” he says, looking at Alberta’s continued economic growth.
Of the $2.04-million donation, $1.04 million will establish the Arnold and Grace Rumbold Leadership Awards. Each year, two NAIT students in good academic standing can be considered for the $10,000 award, should they demonstrate a commitment to community service, ingenuity and inspiring others.
The gift also marks a first for the Advanced Skills Centre. Now in planning, this state-of-the-art facility will boost NAIT’s capacity for trades and technologies education by 5,500 students each year. The Rumbold gift of $500,000 is the first for the project.
The remaining $500,000 will fund initiatives to engage youth in skilled-trades education. It will also provide for mental-health programs and support for students.
Looking back on the reasons for the contribution, Rumbold doesn’t discount the impact his career in the trades had for him and his family. “I think you automatically feel some obligation,” he says.
For Kelly, the feeling is gratitude. She got a chance to start over, but her life may also be coming full circle. Kelly will return to Montreal in early January. In recent years, her career path has mirrored Rumbold's, leading her into estimating. An application submitted to a company with which she had no expectations led to the surprise of an offer by the end of an interview.
Kelly’s nervous, as electrical codes and terminology are different in Quebec; she expects “a huge learning curve.” But she’s excited about being close to her mother and brother, who still live in the province. And she’s confident, thanks in part to Rumbold's generosity and advice. She looks forward to keeping in touch.
“He’s going to be with me forever now,” Kelly says.