Job Training
Doug talked about future speakers - nobody on the 6th, our outgoing exchange student on the 12th, Gordon Key on palliative care on the 19th and Dr. J. Young on the medical side of Avian Flu, for those of us who didn't get enough last week, on the 26th.
Doug said the idea of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program was to bring kids a new, positive, view of the Trades as a career. He introduced Wade and Andrea, representatives of the two School Boards, who are managing the program.
A lot of articles have been published recently concerning the lack of people in the skilled trades at a time when demand is growing. The average age of tradespeople is 48 and of bricklayers 58.
To get more people involved Wade and Andrea are pursuing two avenues - first, marketing. The emphasis for decades has been on either university or college but only about half of HS grads go there. Their program tries to spread the word to kids who might find satisfaction in the trades. Second, they try to get kids registered in the programs.
These two overlap. A lot of the work involves trying to remove a stigma that many parents feel is attached but which usually is due to a lack of knowledge. They are going into classes as young as gr. 6 to give kids an insight and to help them make decisions before they drop out.
They sponsor several programs to inform families.
They run a Cardboard Boat Race. Teams of kids are selected, they get a chance to develop a plan and then they show up at the pool and are given cardboard and duct tape and have to build a boat. They have a race and then a weight bearing competition. They have another contest where kids are challenged to build a car powered by a mousetrap which is tested for distance and speed.
They have hands on workshops at their Trades 'R' Us Fair at the Barrie Event Centre which over 1,500 attended this year. Various activities sponsored by the industries are run and give kids a chance to experience the work in controlled and supervised environments.
They sponsor orientation days for Co-op students, Career Days at the schools, and manufacturing tours.
It's all designed to help kids plan and to bring the parents on side.
They say they've seen kids who don't respond to lectures get enthusiastic when things have a practical application, like geometry in construction. They have a list of 149 trades now and it is still growing - it's defined as anything where you can learn on the job.
A difficulty has been getting employers involved - some don't want to commit to an unknown student, but the co-op program allows each party to evaluate the other. There are supplemental funds that give support to students and which makes it a lot cheaper than university. There's only one real requirement - gr. 12.
People are starting to change their attitude and response is improving - last year they had 60 and this year they have 50 in the first semester. There's more to do. They asked the membership to consider whether they or someone they know might be able to participate. They added that they think there are some tax credit programs coming too.
Rob thanked the pair for their presentation, citing their enthusiasm and commitment and wishing them luck.