About 50 high school students from R.F. Staples and St. Mary School got to see more than a dozen career opportunities in the trades at the Westlock Trades Exploration event.
The schools partnered with CAREERS: The Next Generation, a non-profit organization linking industry with students, to host the second annual trade fair at R.F. May 2.
Co-organizer and R.F. Staples school counsellor Maurice St. Denis said the event is intended to expose kids to the trades and local businesses.
“We have so many kids that are trades bound, they’re looking to get information about the different opportunities that are available in this community and abroad, so we reached out to the different businesses that employ journeymen and apprentices and invited them out to an evening to connect with parents and students,” he explained.
Students were able to network with local tradespeople in ironwork, sheet metal, hairstyle, automotive service, autobody service, heavy equipment, agriculture, crane and hoist, power line, carpentry and cabinet making, gasfitting, electrical, and welding.
Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) and Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training were on hand to offer information about education and employment opportunities in the trades.
“A lot of our guys and our girls they’re thinking they want to be an automotive service tech, but maybe they don’t know about a lot about heavy equipment tech or agricultural technician,” St. Denis noted. “All three are so similar, so if they can learn a little bit more about other opportunities, then I think it’s a win.”
Drew Beattie of Fireline Cabinets Ltd. in Busby said this was his second time at the fair.
“This is the community that I work in and I know the people,” he said
Beattie set up a cabinet and woodworking booth to show off some of his craftsmanship, like a wooden wall clock that caught the interest of Grade 7 student James Cope, who came up from Edmonton with his trade consultant mom to check out the event.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Cope said afterwards.
Grade 12 R.F. student Joseph Nider tried out the crane simulator at the NAIT Crane and Hoist booth.
“I think it’s pretty cool but it’s stressful,” he said and joked that it probably wasn’t the right fit since he crashed into a few objects in the simulation.
Nider said he was interested in the heavy duty mechanic and electrician trades, but wasn’t sure what he would do after high school.
“No idea, that’s why I’m here looking,” he said.
Although the turnout was less than in the inaugural year, St. Denis said what makes the event successful is the number of jobs and registered apprenticeships that are facilitated through an event like this.
Both St. Mary and R.F. offer the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP), where students receive course credit while working in a designated trade. Usually the students seek out an employer willing to take them on as an apprentice.
“I think it’s important in a rural community for local businesses, for employers to connect with the younger generation because I think things are picking up in the community,” St. Denis said.
“If we can keep some of these kids in Westlock, it would be huge.”
