Options Skilled Trades Fair a Community Showcase

Posted on Wednesday, April 2nd, 2014

We have all heard about the shortage of skilled trades workers. If not, try calling a tradesperson to do some renovations at your home, and be prepared to wait or to pay more than you expected. With the average age of a trades worker increasing, there is a supply and demand issue in many trades that has caused governments at all levels to re-think the importance of encouraging more young people to pursue apprenticeship training.

Twelve years ago, the Options Skilled Trades Fair was launched at the Petawawa Civic Centre in a grassroots effort to expose more Renfrew County high school students to careers available in the trades. Options has become one of the largest skilled trades fairs in the province, and arguably the most successful.

It has been recognized by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities with a Minister’s Award of Excellence for its ability to bring together Algonquin College, Renfrew County’s four District School Boards, dozens of employers and hundreds of high school students in a collaborative effort to showcase apprenticeship training as the third pillar of Ontario’s post-secondary training system.

At its core, Options has been successful because of its interactive approach to turning young people on to the trades. Each year, more than 200 senior high school students participate in more than ten skills competitions, ranging from carpentry to hairstyling. The more than 1500 grade ten students that attend as part of their career planning course have an opportunity to test several trades through fun activities such as painting, building brick walls, and using power tools to drill holes in lumber.

While the event is enjoyed by the students, it has also prompted a swell of community pride. Tradespeople and large skilled trades employers from across the region give up their time and make financial contributions to the event to provide judges and materials for competitions, and prizes for competitors. There is also a pay back for the students. Storage sheds built in the team carpentry competition are auctioned off at the end of the day with all funds raised through the sales supporting bursaries for students who are entering the trades.

This year’s Options Skilled Trades Fair will be held on May 13th at the Pembroke Memorial Centre. The event is open to the public and is free. Parents are encouraged to attend.

If you have an opinion on the importance of exposing young people to skilled trades careers, please share your comments.

Posted by: Jamie Bramburger

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