The Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board is hosting its first trade fairs next week.
Board Pathways and Transitions Consultant Nonara Henhoeffer and Experiential Learning Consultant Brandon Koebel say the events will be held Nov. 14 at St. Mary’s High School and on Nov. 15 at Sacred Heart High School, both between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. for students and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. to residents.
Henhoeffer says while there is university and college weeks where students get to learn about the post-secondary education school of their choice, they don’t normally have trade weeks where they introduce the trades and different options to pursue after high school.
“We often send students to different cities and I thought, with the partnership with Bruce Power, we could bring the trades to the students here in Bruce Grey,” says Henhoeffer.
There will 11 of the many different trades being highlighted at the fairs, including insulation, carpentry, iron working, and sheet metal working.
Koebel adds, “we think there is that great value in showcasing all the different post-secondary pathways that students may have interest in after high school. So we often focus on the college and university pathway, but we know that apprenticeship is certainly an area of need not only in Grey Bruce but in the province of Ontario as well and so we really wanted to highlight the different options available.”
He says by also allowing residents to attend the event between 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., they are giving them an opportunity to learn more about the trades.
Koebel says students have expressed interest in the trades and they will have the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program on site, which is a provincial school-to-work transition program offered through Ontario secondary schools.
“I think this is an amazing opportunity even for parents who are wondering if the trades is the right option for their own child,” says Henhoeffer.
The event is free to attend and there is no registration required.
Editor’s note: This story was updated from an earlier version to correct an error about the amount of trades at the fairs.