Archived News Releases

September 9, 2015

High school students taking college-level technical training will soon benefit from a major addition and renovations to Collège Garden City Collegiate that will house new state-of-the-art building trades programs that can move students toward apprenticeship accreditation, Education and Advanced Learning Minister James Allum announced today.

“We recognize the importance of providing more options for students to get a head start on post-secondary training while still in high school,” said Minister Allum.  “This investment will create more opportunities for students to train for good jobs and build their futures here at home.”

The new 7,000-sq.-ft. addition to the collegiate will give students the opportunity to learn on cutting-edge equipment, earn college-recognized credits, receive practical work placement experience and get credit toward a certified apprenticeship when paired with the High School Apprenticeship Program, the minister said.

The 4,000 sq. ft. of existing shop space will be renovated through the province’s Skill Build Shops fund to house three building trades programs including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), introduction to building trades and electrical.  These new programs have the potential to graduate 60 to 75 Level 1 apprentices each year, Minister Allum noted.

“This exciting project will help launch our students into apprenticeships and college-level trades courses,” said Brian O’Leary, superintendent, Seven Oaks School Division.  “As a result, our students will be ready to hit the ground running toward rewarding careers when they graduate high school.  We thank the province for this important investment.”

The new technical training seats and dedicated shops for woods, metals and electronics will benefit approximately 1,400 Collège Garden City Collegiate students as well as 800 middle-years students from H.C. Avery and École Seven Oaks Middle School, the minister noted.

Garden City Collegiate is a grade 9 to 12 English/immersion high school.  Since 2008, the Manitoba government has invested more than $7.3 million for upgrades to the collegiate including an exterior wall replacement, upgrades to two science labs, a roof replacement, a new grooming room and elevator.

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 put them on a path to post-secondary education and good jobs, the minister 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 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 $1.5-million Skills Strategy Equipment Enhancement fund to upgrade classrooms to an apprenticeship-accredited level and bring welding, electrical, carpentry and culinary arts equipment into schools.

Last year, the province also announced the new First-Year Now initiative, which will give students the opportunity to earn dual credits, access post-secondary courses while still in high school and start planning for higher learning.  The initiative is modeled after a successful program in Seven Oaks School Division, which has been delivering dual-credit courses in partnership with the University of Winnipeg and Université de Saint-Boniface.  Dual credits are courses that count as high school credits and college or university credits.  The minister said the courses save students and parents time and money by giving students a head start and reducing the number of courses required to complete a post-secondary education after high school.

Minister Allum noted the project is expected to be completed by spring of next year.

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