Students looking to explore the trades will have more opportunities right in their own backyard.
The provincial government announced they will triple the amount of funding for CAREERS: The Next Generation, a program that allows youth to gain hands-on experience in the trades, to more than $6-million a year by 2022/23.
The Cold Lake Healthcare Centre is among the partners the Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) has through CAREERS. The program gives students the ability to learn about the field, and what’s required of their grades in order to qualify for post-secondary education.
“We’re trying to catch those that are interested before they don’t have the right marks,” noted Catherine Garon, site manager of the Cold Lake Healthcare Centre, adding it also gives them the chance to recruit people who want to work in the area.
“It’s important if we can get people interested in the sciences here in Cold Lake. They live in Cold Lake and their family is here, they’ll want to come back to Cold Lake, Bonnyville, or the Lakeland. They’ll want to come here and work, and that’s really the goal for me is to try and get people interested in the career, and then want to return home and work in their hometown.”
After learning about CAREERS through their school, students fill out a profile that determines if they qualify for the field they’ve chosen.
Amanda Wildman, communications officer for LCSD, explained, “CAREERS will look at the applications, and they’ll forward them onto the employer. The employer will interview the potential students, and based on the interview, they’ll decide whether or not they’ll have them as an intern.”
The increase in provincial funding is expected to provide 6,000 Alberta students with paid internships and skilled trades and technologies learning opportunities.
“It’s so valuable because it’s career investigation,” exclaimed Wildman. “It can provide some on-the-job training, which can help students figure out if that’s truly the field they want to pursue at the post-secondary level.”
Arlene Hrynyk, board chair for Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS), agreed.
“We know that the students coming through our doors don’t always learn in the traditional form… and you need to be able to expose them to a multitude of careers and ideas to kind of tease their own passions for their own success,” she stated. “We know that when a child is interested in what they’re learning, and they’ve had some say to that path, they’re going to see a higher level of success. We want to meet our students where they’re at, and we want to open the doors to ideas for them in their futures.”
For Hrynyk, a highlight of the program is being able to show students all of the occupations that are available.
“It’s great for them to know what’s within their own communities. When we live in rural Alberta, we’re always trying to show our students that opportunities exist right in their communities, and having strong relationships with industries and having them come into our schools is just a win-win.”
CAREERS receiving an increase in funding opens doors for students interested in utilizing the program, and for school divisions to create more partnerships within the area.
“We’re looking at ways that we can engage with the business community, and get all sorts of businesses and organizations on board so that we can continue to expand the internships,” Wildman said.
According to the province, there were over 1,500 internships provided for students through CAREERS in 2018.
“Our skills for jobs plan is all about preparing young Albertans for great careers, and ensuring our future prosperity,” said Premier Jason Kenney in a press release. “We believe that a trade certificate has every bit as much value and merit as a university degree, and that apprenticeship learning deserves as much support as classroom programs.”
