About 1,500 of GCVI high school’s students made their way through 30 booths set up Wednesday for the school’s annual Tech & Trades Fair.
The earlier students can identify a career path for themselves, the better their outcome, said Claire McCusker, head of Co-Op department at GCVI.
“Adults are always asking kids what do they want to be when they grow up, we are trying to get them to think about who they want to be — what kind of lifestyle do you want? What is the quality of life you want? What are the hours you want to work? Things like that,” said McCusker.
Various colleges, universities and employers were on hand to share career and learning opportunities for the students.
“I was talking to a student today who was looking into going into nutrition, but she couldn’t make the connection between technology and nutrition,” said McCusker. “We went over to a couple of the university tables and talked to them about the fact that technology is embedded into most of the careers in that field.”
The fair was a great opportunity to connect with youth, said Les Hosszu, human resources manager for Vehcom Manufacturing — which is a division of Guelph’s largest private employer, Linamar.
Linamar recently received $99 million in federal and provincial funding, which will eventually lead to an additional 1,500 jobs — most of which are expected to be in Guelph.
“With our company expanding at an alarming rate, we need to draw kids into the trades,” said Hosszu.
There is currently a huge shortage of skilled tradespeople, said Abby Brandes, marketing for the School of Trades and Apprenticeships at Conestoga College.
“Trades are always going to be around. It’s good work with good pay and tends to be steady work. We need people,” said Brandes.
High school tech programs tend to centre around electrical, carpentry and auto repair, said Brandes, but she said there is so much more out there.
“There are other opportunities to be a truck and coach mechanic, or a heavy equipment mechanic or a motorcycle technician. There are a lot of other areas that are in the same category that need more people interested in them,” said Brandes.
McCusker said it is easier to keep kids motivated at school when they know what they want to do once they leave and what kind of education and experience they need to accomplish it.
“I think it goes a long way to having kids motivated and engaged in their education when they have their eyes on the prize,” she said.
