The Delta School District will be receiving $40,000 to support trades programs and youth apprenticeships in the district.
The funding is part of $500,000 provided by the Industry Training Authority (ITA) to Lower Mainland school districts to support Youth Work in Trades, a dual-credit program that gives students in Grades 10 to 12 the opportunity to begin the work-based part of their apprenticeship in a trade while gaining credit towards their high school diploma and earning a paycheque.
This program is a partnership between ITA and the B.C. Ministry of Education.
“This helps us support apprenticeship initiatives with our youth, with a focus on working with them to be sponsored with an employer in one of the 100-plus apprenticeable trades,” Brian Tivy, Delta’s district coordinator for career transitions and applied skills, said.
“This is a long term path as they can start as early as Grade 10 and can continue as a youth apprentice until the school year they reach 19. Some of our youth even have a schedule in Grade 12 where they are … working in their trade earning hours and credits every other day.”
In Delta, more than 17 students went through the program last year, many earning scholarships and getting more than 1,000 hours of experience in their trade.
“The world is changing and B.C. parents need to know we are preparing young people to succeed for life beyond school, and providing training options outside of the university post-secondary pathway,” Christine Klar, ITA apprenticeship advisor, Vancouver, said in a press release.
“This funding provides practical experience for students entering the trades and will help prepare them for the job market.”
Other school districts receiving a portion of the $500,000 in funding from ITA include: Abbotsford, Burnaby, Chilliwack, Coquitlam, Fraser-Cascade, Langley, Maple Ridge–Pitt Meadows, Mission, New Westminster, Richmond, Sunshine Coast, Surrey, Vancouver and West Vancouver.
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