32 High School Students Roll Up Their Sleeves at Skilled Trades Exploration Camp
Posted on Wednesday, June 1st, 2016
Academic Partnerships welcomed 32 students from eight Ottawa-area high schools to the Skilled Trades Exploration Camp on May 18.
Students participated in three activities in the manufacturing, automotive and plumbing labs throughout the day.
In the plumbing section of the camp, students toured the lab before building a tablet stand using solder and pipefittings.
The students were provided with a couple of different activity options in the automotive lab, including changing a set of car tires, assembling a lift, or taking apart and reassembling parts of an engine.
“The fact that we got to even work on an engine and turn the car on after working on the engine – that was the coolest part about it,” said Sacred Heart High School Grade 10 student Aedan McDonald. “We were working on a real vehicle, and it wasn’t just some simulation or just us talking about it in class. We were able to actually use real tools to disassemble an engine, see which components were working and which weren’t, and then turn the car back to see if it worked.”
In the manufacturing lab activity, students were shown computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing machines, and received an introduction to additive manufacturing techniques as well as more traditional manufacturing processes. A volunteer from each group was allowed to turn on the Computer Numerical Control machine that produced part of a keychain.
“The entire day I’ve had a smile on my face,” said McDonald. “I’m amazed at how good this camp has been. I’ve been to courses at Carleton and University of Ottawa, and they’ve all been cool and pretty hands-on, but we could only do small things and they would bring the stuff to us. Here we were able to go into the room an work on real steel things that we use everyday.”
The students were selected for participation in the camp based on their level of interest in the trades.
“The goal is that the students are taking away an interest in postsecondary education, and awareness that there is more after high school,” said Todd Morton, a guidance counsellor at Sir Guy Carleton. “I think all the students we brought are interested in a trade, but college wasn’t necessarily in their spectrum right now.”
The activities included information sessions on program and apprenticeship options available in each of the trade areas.
“I’m hoping they come away with a better idea of what it takes to get into the trades,” said Sacred Heart High School resource teacher Ryan McCloskey. “That includes an awareness of what programs are available to them right here in Ottawa.”
About Academic Partnerships:
Pathway Building since 2006. Academic Partnerships works with a comprehensive network of Pathway Builders (community, educational and government stakeholders) to create and deliver on a variety of experiential opportunities to be a college student through hands-on, curriculum-driven experiences for Pathway Explorers (students in grade 7 – 12). With a commitment to the dream development and pathway finding for students prior to starting full-time studies the team has programming at Algonquin College’s three Ontario Campuses: Ottawa, Pembroke, and Perth. For more information visit: algonquincollege.com/ap
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