Students and skills
Posted Dec 1, 2010 04:34:55 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Over two thousand high school students traded their textbooks for tools today as part of a career showcase aimed at getting teens interested in the skilled trades.
The showcase was put on by the Waterloo Region District School Board at Bingeman’s in Kitchener.
Coordinator Jill Nothstein says the showcase creates awareness around what career paths are out there for students.
Students who spoke with 570 News say the hands-on experience, such as working with patch cables and operating the boom on an excavator, helps them decide which path to take.
Nothstein says the skilled trades don’t get as much attention in high school as colleges and universities, but there is a growing need for workers.
The federal government estimates a shortage of one million tradespeople by 2020, which is why Nothstein says the showcase is so important.
The showcase has nearly doubled in size over the past four years and now includes 53 exhibitors from a number of industries, including construction, electrical, plumbing and aircraft maintenance.
