Howe Sound Secondary School's (HSSS) careers program is kick-starting a new apprenticeship program, and they've invited local employers to find out how they can get involved and benefit themselves and the community.
"We're seeing a really big demand for the trades here," said career program teacher Linda Firbank. "We're seeing a need for cooks and we're seeing a need for carpentry and other trades throughout the corridor."
Speakers from the Industry Training Authority (ITA), School District 48 and the Ministry of Education will be at HSSS on Wednesday, April 20 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. to explain the new Accelerated Credit Enrolment in Industry Training (ACE IT).
ACE IT is a new industry certification program enabling B.C. secondary school students the opportunity to earn both graduation credits and credits toward the first level of technical training or apprenticeship.
The program is an opportunity for both students and employers, said Firbank."Students even have an opportunity to get a scholarship if they're in the same trade once they finish school, so it's a tremendous opportunity for the kids. Plus they get four courses of credit while they're in high school," she said. "But the biggest missing link is having employers. They would first of all get a young person in grade 11 or 12 and they get to train them all the way through while they're going to high school and keep them as a fully trained employee and keep them through their apprenticeship if they wish."
Through ACE IT, the ITA will provide financial assistance to school districts enabling them to offer industry training in partnership with post-secondary institutions as well as employers. HSSS has already partnered with Capilano College to offer a cooking level 1 training course in the high school's kitchen facility.
The employer information meeting will include a tour of the facility and samples of the students' projects.
The Howe Sound School District has been offering a secondary school apprenticeship (SSA) program since 1995 former graduates have apprenticed as barbers, automotive and heavy mechanics, cosmeticians, and ironworkers.
HSSS has invited all Howe Sound employers, including the 600 employer sponsors involved in past years, as well as Chamber of Commerce representatives from Pemberton, Whistler and Squamish.
