South Slave, Dehcho schools urge youth to try trades

More than 50 South Slave students spent the past week being introduced to trades through a partnership between the region’s schools, Fort Smith’s career centre, and Aurora College.

Between September 23 and 27, students from Fort Smith, Hay River, Fort Resolution, Łutselkʼe, and the Kátł’odeeche First Nation spent time getting hands-on with a range of trades. Dehcho students are participating this week.

The initiative, named the Trades Awareness Program, runs in two phases.

If any of the options caught their eye, in this initial, introductory phase, students can sign up for an intensive second stage of the program in the spring.

Trades offered to junior and senior high-school students included aviation, carpentry, cooking, mechanics, and plumbing.

“The Trades Awareness Program is a great way for students from across the South Slave to try out several trades at Aurora College,” said South Slave school superintendent Curtis Brown, who helped to found the program, in a news release.

“There’s a great need for skilled trades professionals in the North and across Canada,” said Brown. “The program gives students a taste of several possible rewarding careers.”

Students taking part had access to the shops, equipment, and instructors of Aurora College and the broader Fort Smith business community.

Those who took part earned credits toward their high school diplomas, and also had the chance to “experience residence life” at the college’s Thebacha campus, the news release stated.