HEADLINES
Skilled Trades Program Preparing Students for the Future
Skilled Trades Program Preparing Students for the Future
By Gary Kean
Robyn Terry says she’s ready and willing to spread the word about the exciting opportunities available to young people interested in skilled trades.
The Level 2 student from Meadows is in the Futures in Skilled Trades and Technology program at Templeton Academy and is already thinking about a career in carpentry.
Monday, she and classmates hosted Education Minister Joan Burke, who dropped by the Bay of Islands school’s design room, which has been transformed into a modern fabrication suite, with plenty of new state-of-the-art tools and industrial machines.
During her visit, Burke encouraged students to be ambassadors of the skilled trades to their fellow students.
“I’ll have no trouble telling everybody this is a good course to get you interested in other things to open your eyes to other options for the future,” said Terry as she and a classmate worked on an electrical wiring project.
The Futures in Skilled Trades and Technology program is currently offered in 37 high schools in the province. Six courses have been developed to support the program with eight new courses to be implemented province wide by 2010.
These courses are supported with industrial equipment such as computer controlled routers and lathes, sliding compound mitre saws, and a wide variety of other power tools.
Courses engage students in a variety of activities associated with technology and skilled trades, from simple construction and small engine repair, to the design and development of control programs using computers and robotics.
Things have certainly changed since Templeton teacher Kevin Taylor began teaching industrial arts back in the early 1990’s.
“Ever since I got into it, it had been going downhill and the program was fading, but now we have a big influx of equipment to learn on,” said Taylor. “The job opportunities that are out there will make students more interested in the program and developing a skill set. Even someone who is not skilled trade-bound, can take a lot of the skills learned here and take it home to their own workshop or develop good habits like thinking safety first, using equipment properly and reading instructions before using equipment.”
Things have changed a lot from just one-year-ago, said Level 3 student Travis Sheppard of Irishtown.
“We’re going to learn a lot more this year,” said Sheppard, who’s leaning towards a career in either welding or carpentry. “Last year, we never had a table saw or a chop saw. We have another drill press, so you won’t be wasting time waiting for someone else to use it.”
Gender Equity
Special measures are being made to raise awareness about the opportunities in the skilled trade, especially among female students. Last fall, Burke launched the campaign Jump Start Your Life (www.jumpstartnl.ca), designed to show young women that a career in the skilled trades is exciting and lucrative, while at the same time demands creativity and skill.
Since 2004, the number of women registering for apprenticeship programs in non-traditional trades at the post-secondary level has increased by 35 percent.
Another measure taken by the provincial government to ensure a capable and diverse workforce that supports the involvement of women was the negotiation of the Gender Equity and Diversity Plan in the Hebron agreement, a first in an off-shore oil agreement. The plan will provide training and recruitment programs that address access to business opportunities for women, aboriginals and disadvantaged groups, including those with disabilities.
“A career in the skilled trades offers enormous opportunities in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Burke. “With more students having access to the skilled trades program in high school, we look forward to increased participation in post-secondary skilled training.”
