Students had a chance to gain hands-on experience and leave a lasting legacy thanks to a partnership between the Ministry of Education and the Industry Training Authority (ITA).
Students in grades 10 to 12 were given the opportunity to try out a variety of trades as they explore their future career paths. Through the partnership, students gain 300 hours of experience before they enrol in a high school apprenticeship program.
This Explorer Sampler took place at Kitimat City High (KCH) that went from the end of April to the end of June. Students got to work on a variety of projects from start to finish. Some of these projects would remain at the school such as an outdoor smoker and a gazebo. Also, a bridge was built for the trail system. There were also benches, picnic tables and sidewalks created.
The program saw 16 students register. Ten were male students, six were female. Nearly two-thirds of students who took part were Indigenous.
Students learned a variety of trades skills including, carpentry, electrical, iron working, cement masonry, piping and bricklaying to name a few.
A number of students found employment through this program including three in ironworking and two in bricklaying.
The program had a lot of support from not only the ITA but also the community and many of the materials were donated to the sampler and KCH incurred nearly no cost for the project as a result.
“The projects themselves, the jobs that they’ve gained, relationship building that has happened with the trades coming in was pretty spectacular, the hands-on opportunities that students actually got,” said Dan Hamel, ITA liaison.
Hamel said the next Sampler is expected to take place in Kitimat in 2023.