On May 15, Lethbridge School Division students received an amazing opportunity through the Registered Apprenticeship Program.
An information night, held at George Kirkham's Toy Shop, gave students the opportunity to learn about what the Registered Apprenticeship Program is all about, and gain details on how to participate at each high school.
Touring the Kirkham Collection, featuring a vast array of vintage international vehicles, was just the cherry on the top.
"We just had a wonderful evening going through what the Registered Apprenticeship Program is all about," said Andrew Krul, Off Campus Education Coordinator for Lethbridge School Division. "We had an incredible scavenger hunt for the students, with tool prizes from Canadian Tire, served hot dogs and it was just such a neat thing to see all of the little Grade7 and 8 students scurrying around the building doing the scavenger hunt with their parents."
Aside from the fun, Krul added students also took in some very valuable information about what a potential career in the trades could look like.
"Many of these students had no clue coming in what the skilled trades were all about, so it was just a very good learning opportunity," he said.
George Kirkham, owner of Southland International, spoke about the goal of the information night.
"Hopefully, we influenced some people's lives into thinking more seriously about the trades," he said. "We've been working with the Registered Apprenticeship Program for over 30 years. We were one of the first businesses in Lethbridge to do it."
Kirkham added Southland staff is excited to help RAP students develop their skills throughout their time with the company.
"To watch them grow and become fully licenced technicians or parts people, it's a lot of fun to watch it happen."
Wednesday's event also benefitted from financial support through the Alberta School Council Engagement Grant, which is intended for parent involvement and engagement activities that broaden the number of school events that include parents. The grant also aims to diversify the communication tools used to reach parents and seek out the advice and ideas of other parents.
This year, the Chinook Parent Council chose to donate funds from the grant to support the event. "As a Parent Council, we had been in discussions for some time about how we could bring more awareness and knowledge of the Registered Apprenticeship Program to both parents and students," said Chinook Parent Council member Christa Pike. "This year, we have used the ASCE grant funds to purchase the merchandise, safety glasses and magnetic tools, which were given out to students at the door, upon entry. We are proud to support this event to bring awareness to students interested in the skilled trades, especially at a time when so much opportunity exists and there is such high demand for skilled workers in our economy."
