Education/training
Seneca supporting skilled trades opportunitiesRecently, Dianne Cunningham, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, announced a $5 million investment in apprenticeship training for Ontario's community colleges. |
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 [ 2002-06-26 ] |
For Seneca College and the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) this funding reinforced the need to increase opportunities for students to discover the potential for careers in the skilled trade professions.
Last year Seneca and YCDSB launched the Introduction to Numerical Control Initiative. The program brings high school students greater awareness of career opportunities that exist in the metal cutting trades.
Seneca College's Centre for Precision skills received approximately $50,000 for the areas of general machinist, tool and die maker and mouldmaker. The funds will go toward the purchase and installation of a leading edge computer numeric control machining centre to teach the latest cutting technology. This will allow the college to improve the technology with which the students are learning.
YCDSB students have the opportunity to earn two high school credits while getting exposure to, and experience in, highly specialized areas such as Computer Numerical Control (CNC) programming and operating.
Students who complete the Introduction to Numerical Control Initiative and pursue further studies in Seneca's Mechanical Techniques programs after graduating high school will receive advanced standing. To date, the initiative has provided 36 high school students with career awareness, orientation, knowledge, and experience in an important area of skilled trades.
Two students who participated in the initiative went onto Seneca's Mechanical Techniques -- CNC Precision Machining Program after graduating high school.
This year, five students have chosen to pursue their post-secondary education in Seneca's Mechanical Techniques -- CNC Precision Machining, Mechanical Techniques - Tool and Die/Mould Maker and Mechanical Engineering Technician - Tool Design programs. They will also have an opportunity for a Summer Internship in CNC programming.
Eighteen students are now completing this year's program at Seneca College under the guidance of Ken Ellis, Program Co-ordinator at Seneca and Lawrence Cotton, Technological Studies Department Head at St. Elizabeth Catholic High School.
The York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) educates students to reach their full potential in a dynamic Christ-centred learning community that accentuates a unique Canadian identity in partnership with home and church. YCDSB has more than 45,000 students attending 81 Catholic Schools throughout York Region.
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Two Conestoga students have won prestigious national Skills Canada medals.
Conestoga College students Grant Habermehl of Wallenstein and David Pallen of Kitchener are winners of Canadian bronze medals for their technical expertise at the Eighth Canadian Skills Competition (CSC), which took place May 30 to June 2 in Vancouver.
They were among more than 300 students from across Canada who competed in more than 30 technical skills categories. Competitions took place at the secondary and postsecondary level.
Earlier, Habermehl and Pallen were two of the four Conestoga students to win gold medals at the Ontario Technological Skills Competition, held in Kitchener at the end of April.
Habermehl, who is a student in the Automotive Service Technician apprenticeship program at Conestoga's Guelph campus, won CSC bronze in the automotive service postsecondary category.
Pallen, a student in the Woodworking Technology program at the Doon campus in Kitchener, took third place national honours in the cabinetmaking competition. This was his second consecutive trip to the Canadian event; he was an Ontario gold medallist in 2001 as well.
Skills Canada is a voluntary association of educators, business and industrial leaders, and government representatives working together to promote and highlight the importance of technical education and careers to young Canadians.
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