OSHAWA, Ont. - Local high school students pursuing careers in the critically important building trades now have easy access to thousands of dollars worth of professional carpentry equipment thanks to an agreement hammered out between Durham College and the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB).
The equipment, located previously at Durham College's Skills Training Centre in Whitby, was moved recently to Monsignor John Pereyma C.S.S. in Oshawa. The board has spent about $200,000 to convert an auto shop at the school to a first-class carpentry facility, which is due to open Feb. 1. The workshop houses a variety of equipment, including table saws, routers, planers, radial saws, and hand tools. It also features a dust-extraction system, which was transferred from the Skills Training Centre.
In the past, DCDSB students in carpentry-apprenticeship programs travelled to the Skills Training Centre to use the equipment. College students at the Whitby campus use the shop primarily at night. The agreement between the college and the school board will allow the equipment to be utilized more fully during the day, while still giving access to Durham College students in the evening.
"It's a great partnership," said Sandy MacDonald, director of the Schools of Skilled Trades and Apprenticeships at Durham College. "It allows us to use the space for expansion in Whitby," he added. "And it certainly offers young people the opportunity to learn a very important skill-set, especially with the construction trades booming all the way around."
The college is currently considering plans to expand its automotive trades programs at the Whitby campus.
Paul Pulla, a superintendent of education with the Durham Catholic District School Board, said the partnership fits well with the Ontario Ministry of Education's Pathways to Success initiative, which emphasizes, in part, career-focused training for at-risk students.
The agreement also advances the board's overall strategy for developing its schools. "One of the things we're doing is looking at specialized programs in all our schools," said Pulla. "The partnership with the college fits in extremely well with the direction we were taking Monsignor Pereyma.
"We're delighted to have the equipment," he added.
When it opens Feb. 1, the new shop will immediately host 21 carpentry apprenticeship students at the school. Pulla said he hopes the very presence of the equipment, and easier access to it, will encourage more students at the school to pursue carpentry training.
The total number of registered apprentices has remained relatively flat for the past decade, along with apprenticeship completion rates. This has contributed to skills shortages in several major trades, including construction, metal, electrical and electronics trades. Shortages are expected to worsen over the next decade if completion rates are not increased.
About Durham College
For 35 years, Durham College has been committed to providing job-focused programs, accomplished professors, quality-driven innovation, student success, and superior accountability. More than 5,600 full-time students and 23,000 part-time students are enrolled at Durham College. For more information, visit the Web site at www.durhamcollege.ca, or call 905.721.2000.
Media contact:
John Schofield
Communications and Marketing, Durham College
905.721.3111, ext. 2513
john.schofield@durhamc.on.ca
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