October 23, 2014
Manitoba Government Announces New Investment in Skills Training for High School Students
– – –Welding Shop Expansion, Renovation at Collége Sturgeon Heights Collegiate Will Create More Opportunities for Students to Train for Good Jobs in Manitoba: Premier Selinger
Students at Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate can look forward to a major expansion and renovation to the school’s welding shop, thanks to the Manitoba government’s Skill Build Shops fund, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
“Welding is a high-demand and rewarding career, and this expansion and renovation will give students more opportunities to learn and develop the skills they need to get the good jobs that are available right here in Manitoba,” said Premier Selinger. “With these improvements, more students at Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate will be able to hit the ground running when they graduate by getting their first year of apprenticeship or accredited training while still in high school.”
Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate is a grade 9 to 12 English and French immersion vocational high school built in 1970. Students in the welding program gain skills in four major areas – gas metal, gas tungsten and shielded metal-arc welding, and oxy-acetylene welding. Upon completion of the program at the Grade 12 level, students qualify for Level 1 of the Provincial Industrial Welding Apprenticeship Program and can test under the Canadian Welding Bureau.
The school’s current 3,046-sq.-ft. welding shop will be completely renovated, and the new
2,700-sq.-ft. addition, which will include 700 sq. ft. of storage, will allow more students to access the program.
“This expansion and renovation will ensure our welding students are working in a state-of-the-art facility that meets the standards of industry and will enable us to graduate even more young people who can meet the labour market demands of our province,” said Barry Wiess, acting principal, Collège Sturgeon Heights Collegiate. “As a high-functioning technical vocational school, CSHC strives to meet the needs of all our students and this is great news for those who wish to pursue welding as a career.”
The Manitoba government has launched a comprehensive skills strategy with targeted investments in schools to provide students with access to state-of-the-art equipment that will create a pathway to post-secondary education and good jobs, the premier said. This includes:
- a new, $30-million Skill Build Shops fund to build and expand trades and skills shops in high schools across the province;
- a new, $1-million career development fund to ensure students leave high school with a good idea of where they want to go and how to get there, whether it is through a university, college, work placement or on-the-job training and apprenticeship; and
- a new, $1-million Skill Build Equipment fund to upgrade classrooms to an apprenticeship-accredited level and bring welding, electrical, carpentry and culinary arts equipment into schools across Manitoba.
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