Almost 1,000 people attended as the Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows School District hosted its annual Skilled Trades Showcase event on Thursday at Thomas Haney Secondary.
There were 57 different industry groups represented – college programs, industry recruiters, and employers. Students from Vancouver Community College’s hairstyling program demonstrated their skills, and numerous kids tried driving heavy equipment in the BC Road Builders Roadshow, with digital simulations of various vehicles from snowplows to loaders.
“The simulators are awesome – they add an element of realism,” said organizer Brad Dingler, the coordinator of district partnerships for SD42.
He said some people got hired and the event, and he heard from industry presenters that students showed a lot of interest.
He said it’s important to highlight some of the great programs offered.
The school district, for example offers trades training to high school students that could cost $10,000 for the program after they graduate, and in many cases there are two-year waiting lists.
Students entering Grade 12 now can graduate and earn first-year, post-secondary certification and apprenticeship training in one year with no tuition fees. These include auto service, carpentry, electrician, culinary arts, hairstylist, horticulture, metal fabricator and plumbing.
The event featured a panel discussion with senior managers and experts from organizations such as Bosa Construction and BC Hydro. There was Women in Trades breakout session, a trades expo, numerous exhibitors and more.
Dingler is already planning next year’s fifth annual trades showcase, and said the growing show will likely expand even more.
For more information about trades programs in the district see sd42.ca or email brad_dinger@sd42.ca.