July 3, 2021 - 6:30pm Alumnus Charlton Mapayi's story Coming to Canada in his mid-40s from Harare, Zimbabwe, where he worked in sales and marketing, Charlton Mapayi found himself looking for a new career after failing to find work in this field. Applying for position after position to no avail, he decided to take temporary work as a janitor, in retail sales and as a package handler. Mapayi found out about Vancouver Island University’s Medical Device Reprocessing Technician (MDRT) certificate program while searching for a new career. “My work experiences helped me learn the new work environment in Canada and reflect on what I felt would be suitable for me going forward,” he remembers. “The pandemic made me realize I wanted to help at this critical time. I saw the need and my ability to make a difference. I felt the urge to join the health-care industry to serve and contribute my transferable and new skills in a rewarding, fulfilling and impactful career that I can retire in. The MDRT program was just right – at my age, I was not prepared to start a longer program with a family to look after as well.”