The David Ellis Scholarship

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Every year in Canada, 30 young workers are killed on the job. Another 40,000 are injured, many of them seriously. 

The David Ellis Scholarship is a health and safety scholarship award available to children and grandchildren of any Steelworker member. For 2021, District 3 Director Stephen Hunt, District 6 Director Marty Warren and District 5 Director Dominic Lemieux are offering five scholarships of $500 in each Canadian USW district to help selected high school students continue their education at university, college or another educational institution. The David Ellis Scholarship is part of the New Worker Awareness Program. 

Why we remember David 

David Ellis was killed on his second day at work. David Ellis didn’t get the chance to fulfil his dreams. 

But in his memory – and in honour of all the other young workers killed or injured on the job – the United Steelworkers is making sure young workers know the risks and know their rights on the job. 

During the week of April 28, the International Day of Mourning for workers killed and injured on the job, Steelworkers go into high schools across Canada to teach students about staying healthy and safe in the workplace. We run radio ads, provide print materials, use social media and encourage our members across the country to talk to and engage with students about health and safety. 

That’s why we’ve established the David Ellis Scholarship. In David’s honour, we will fight to ensure all young workers come home from work healthy and safe. 

Who can apply for the David Ellis Scholarship 

The scholarship is only available to high school students who are the child or grandchild of a member of the United Steelworkers. Scholarships will be awarded to eligible students who produce winning essays or videos on health and safety themes. Winning essays or videos will be selected by a panel of judges. 

How to apply for the David Ellis Scholarship

SUBMISSION THEMES: Students may submit an essay or YouTube video based one of the two following themes:

• Spreading the word: How I would make high school students aware of their risks and their rights in the workplace.

• How to be a workplace survivor: My personal experience with health and safety on the job.

When sending your essay or video by email, please ensure you select the correct privacy and permission settings to allow our scholarship panel to review your submission. 

ESSAY SUBMISSIONS: Essays must be between 750-1,000 words (not including cover page information), in English or French, and will be evaluated for creativity, style and content. Essays must be typed and emailed (MS Word or PDF format) and must include a cover page listing the necessary Applicant Information.

VIDEO SUBMISSIONS: Videos must be three-to-five-minutes in length and uploaded to YouTube. The link to the YouTube video must then be submitted by email. The body of the email must include the necessary Applicant Information. 

APPLICANT INFORMATION: Each submission must include a cover page or email with the following information:

• student’s first and last name

• student’s complete home address

• student’s contact phone number

• student’s email address

• name of student’s high school

• name of student’s USW parent or grandparent

• number of parent or grandparent’s USW Local Union (e.g., Local 6500) 

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Submissions for the 2021 David Ellis scholarship will only be accepted by email and must be received no later than June 30, 2021. Essays (in MS Word or PDF format) or links to YouTube videos may be sent to dellis_scholarship@usw.ca. 

Winners will be notified by August 15, 2021. No materials submitted will be returned. United Steelworkers reserves the right to publish the winning essay or video in its publications or websites. 

For any questions please email us at dellis_scholarship@usw.ca. 

2020 recipients of the David Ellis Scholarship