By Sarah Rae

N.B. and area students Try a Trade

Oct 26, 2016 | 2:00 PM

Students explored their career options today with practical experience in the trades.

North West College’s Try a Trade exhibition at the NationsWEST Field House Wednesday, Oct. 26, brought students from across the region to the Battlefords to learn about trades and their corresponding training programs.

Coordinator Jennifer Whyte said the event usually attracts more than 1,000 students and this year she expected roughly 1,400.

“It’s important for students to get hands-on experience with trades, either by process of elimination – maybe they try welding and decide they don’t like it and they can move on to the next one or they try it and decide ‘that’s fantastic, that’s the career I want to go into.’ Then they can visit some of our post-secondary booths and find out where those programs are offered,” she said.

Trade exhibitors from across Saskatchewan come to the field house, including police, paramedics, nail technicians, arborists, electricians and more. Students could try their hand at any number of interactive exhibits. 

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Whyte said although most of the trades represented at the exhibition could be practiced anywhere in the country, they encourage students to go to schools in the region and help build the labour force in Saskatchewan.

Jennifer Dijeh, a teacher with North West College’s program on Mistawasis First Nation, said some of her students have been to the event multiple times and they always take something positive away from it.

She said she’s always encouraged when students find their passion and an event like Try a Trade is a good way for them to explore.

“I think it’s important because students are our future and they need to know what’s available for them out there and having things that they can try, especially with our rural communities who may not come into contact with a lot of these careers, it’s just opening their eyes to what’s out there,” she said.

Sarah Rae is battlefordsNOW’s court and crime reporter. She can be reached at Sarah.Rae@jpbg.ca or tweet her @sarahjeanrae.