From trades to health care and community service to cooking, high school students get a glimpse into future careers thanks to hands-on learning partnerships between Saskatchewan Polytechnic and the Regina District Industry Education Council (RDIEC) and the Saskatoon Industry-Education Council (SIEC).
During career fairs and camps held at Sask Polytech throughout the school year, students between Grades 10 and 12 have a chance to learn more about specific fields of study. On April 16, dental careers were in the spotlight at Regina campus.
As part of the event, participants learned from Dental Assisting students and ran through scenarios at stations in the dental lab. For example, they took dental impressions and completed tactile exercises to practice working with mirrors explains Sharman Strouts, academic chair of dental programs.
"To me it's amazing to have our students involved in RDIEC events like these. It demonstrates how invested they are in their community and how dedicated they are to fostering the profession through advocacy," she says.
Multiple careers are available in oral health care. Sask Polytech offers the Dental Hygiene and Dental Assisting programs, as well as the collaborative Dental Therapy degree. Graduates work in dental offices in preventative care as frontline workers and in rooms during procedures as vital members of the healthcare team. New this year, the Dental Aide program helps students enter the field even faster. The four-month applied certificate is largely completed online and allows graduates to enter dental offices to provide support in equipment sterilization and room prepping.
"Dental showcases with RDIEC help prospective students understand career possibilities and different education avenues available to them in the dentistry field," Strouts says.
Over the past year, Welding instructor Derrick Deringer facilitated multiple five-week welding camps through a partnership with RDIEC. Participants attended sessions on Fridays from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
"The high school students are so dedicated. They spend part of their Friday evenings learning a trade. Some students are interested in welding specifically. Some want to improve their skills. Others want to try something new to get a feel for what it is," he says adding that some students gain credit upon completion of the camp.
The group of 10-12 students work on open-ended projects focused on achievable learning skills.
"Students are project oriented. By creating something they can bring home, it ignites that passion," he says noting how invaluable these opportunities are. Deringer says two incoming students enroled at Sask Polytech after participating in the camp.
"RDIEC is wonderful to work with. It's rewarding for our instructors and for the high school students. It's a win-win-win. The high school students are engaged and you get to see the enthusiasm there. It's something the facilitators enjoy to see."
Mark Edmonds, RDIEC executive director, notes the partnership between the organization and Sask Polytech was established 11 years ago.
"Sask Polytech has been an invaluable partner. It has been an amazingly collaborative partnership," he says.
Janet Uchacz-Hart SIEC executive director says, "The advantage of the partnership is the ability to showcase all the career pathways that Sask Polytech offers to young people."
Uchacz-Hart notes a shift over the 22 years of partnership with Sask Polytech.
"We used to focus on trade related careers, but we have now expanded to include programs from health, information technology, construction, manufacturing and agriculture. There has been a spike in student interest in our programming.
"March was a busy month with autobody, culinary, welding, machining, tourism and robotics boot camps as after-school programming. Hands-on, experiential learning gives each student a sense of the skills needed in industry and helps them determine if they're interested in pursuing their interest as a career choice."
Serving as RDIEC executive director over the past three years, Edmonds adds that industry changes are top of mind to make the most of the opportunities available to participants.
"I have noticed that the focus for youth often parallels the in-demand careers that are at the forefront of industrial and societal needs. We are anticipatory in our approach, while also being cognizant of the demand for present-day jobs," he says.
Visit the RDIEC and SIEC websites to know more about upcoming events.
Many full-time programs still have available seats for fall 2025. Find a program and apply today.
For more information
400 - 119 4th Avenue South
Saskatoon Saskatchewan
Canada S7K 5X2
www.saskpolytech.ca
