LISSA ALEXANDER
reporter@pqbnews.com
Students in the district need to be exposed to the trades to see if it sparks their interest and leads to a possible career in that field.
This was the thinking behind Try a Trade at Ballenas Secondary School Thursday, that had Grade 9 students in the district trying their hands at plumbing, wiring and excavating.
“We’re facing a crisis,” said organizer and Career Coordinator at BSS Luc Ouellet. “Who will replace the baby boomers?”
Try a Trade was tied into the regional Skills Canada Competition, a national, multi-trade and technology competition for young students and apprentices in the country. Students in Grades 11 and 12 in the district headed to Campbell River Friday for the regional competition (from Parksville to Port Hardy) and came home with a number of wins.
The winners will go on to the Provincials in Abbotsford and the finals in Vancouver in June.
Some of the students in Try a Trade got to attend the regional Skills Canada Competition as spectators.
Ouellet said he hoped Try a Trade would open student’s eyes to trade opportunities as well as get them excited about possibly competing in the Skills Canada Competition in the future.
The event happened because of help from Highway Four Rentals, Albertson’s Home Center and the local Chamber of Commerce.
Results form the regional Skills Canada event Friday in Campbell River:
Ballenas Secondary:
Connor Berg — First in Culinary Arts
Colson Schneider — Second in Electronics
Ryan O‚‘Hara — First in Web Site Development
Kwalikum Secondary:
Brandon Atwood — First in Welding
Jasper Edge — First in Cabinetmaking
Robert Knapp- Second in Automotive
Keegan Huxter- Second in Mechanical Cad
Janine Bauwens- Gold in Fasion Design
Simone Beausoleil and Charlotte Telfer-Wan — Silver in Fashion Design
Aquila Ortlieb — Bronze in Fashion Design
Middle school students took First, Second and Third in the Spaghetti Bridge competition (where they literally make a miniature bridge out of spaghetti).
