School District No. 46 (SD46) recently received a $20,000 grant to help fund a program that encourages students to train for a job in the trades. The funding is part of a $500,000 fund awarded throughout the Lower Mainland by the Industry Training Authority, a provincial government organization, for the Youth Work in Trades Programs.
Three level 1 Apprenticeship programs are available to students on the Sunshine Coast including: auto service technician, cooks training and carpentry.
SD46 offers the apprenticeship programs in collaboration with Vancouver Island University. Students are hired and paid while they are gaining experience and in certain circumstances they receive course credits.
Besides the apprenticeship programs there are also work experience programs available to students. There are about 40 to 50 employers who collaborate with the school district to provide work experience to students.
“It’s always interesting to be able to connect the right student with the right employer,” said Paul Bishop, director of instruction, human resources and secondary programs for SD46.
Bishop said the grant money received will go toward paying the career education coordinator, Cathy Gordon, who works as the liaison between students and employers.
