May 6, 2015
Budget 2015 Invests in Expansion at Collège Louis-Riel to Create New Culinary Arts Shops Facility
– – –Investment will Create New Opportunities for Skills Training, Experience for Francophone Students: Premier Selinger
The Manitoba government is investing in major renovations at Collège Louis-Riel to create a new culinary arts facility that will provide more opportunities for skills training for francophone students, Premier Greg Selinger announced today.
"Budget 2015 is about creating more opportunities for young people to build their futures here in Manitoba and this investment will ensure that francophone students have access to more training opportunities, and get the skills and expertise they need to work in their chosen fields,” said Premier Selinger. “The additional space created by this renovation will provide more students with opportunities to get hands-on experience in the trades and get a head start on an apprenticeship.”
The renovation and 5,000-sq.-ft. addition will be open to francophone students from schools throughout the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine (DSFM) and is the first step towards creating a francophone culinary arts, tourism, and hospitality program in the division. DSFM will also promote and facilitate access and use of the new facility to members of the francophone community. This investment also includes financial support for new equipment, the premier said.
“The promotion of careers in culinary arts by the Manitoba government is excellent news for francophone students,” said Gabor Csepregi, president, Université de Saint-Boniface. “We are pleased to work with DSFM around this important project and strengthen our strong partnership.”
Premier Selinger noted this new facility will help the division move toward offering apprenticeship level programming for high school students.
The new culinary arts shops facility at Collège Louis-Riel will help DSFM develop a new partnership with USB directly to give francophone students the training they need to get good jobs right here in Manitoba, the premier said. DSFM has been working with the Manitoba Institute for Training and Technology to develop French-language programming for DSFM students beginning next fall.
“The expansion of the Collège Louis-Riel, which will allow for the introduction of a tourism and hospitality program, will give students in the DSFM access to a vocational program in French for the first time in one of the division’s own schools. On behalf of the CSFM, I would like to thank the Selinger government for this investment in the first vocational program that will be available in French and that includes one of the components of our strategic plan, namely the trades,” said Bernard Lesage, chair, CSFM.
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 $30-million Skill Build Shops fund to build and expand trades and skills shops in high schools;
- a $2-million Career Development grant that supports school divisions in connecting students with local employers for career opportunities; and
- a $1.5-million Skill Strategy Equipment fund to provide state-of-the-art equipment for specialized high school training programs and to support accreditation.
- 30 -