January 10, 2005
Ask most young people what question they hear most often, and it’s likely: "What are you going to be when you grow up?" Thanks to Options 2003, Renfrew County’s first skilled-trades exposition, many local students may be closer to their answer. Young people often think of three post-secondary options (college, university or the work force), but Options 2003 set out to educate students and their parents about a fourth option – apprenticeship.
“We want to promote awareness that there is a fourth option,” said Glen MacGillilvray, Member of the Options 2003 Steering Committee and a Director of the Rotary Club of Petawawa. “We want them to go away with an appreciation for the breadth of trades and the wealth of opportunity and we would like their parents to walk away with the same idea.”
Options 2003 brought students, their parents and potential regional employers together to increase the proportion of high school students seriously considering entering the skilled trades. More than 3o interactive displays of skilled trades from manufacturing, communications, services, transportation, and construction sectors facilitated a greater understanding of the skills and competencies involved in those trades. The exposition, held in Petawawa’s Civic Centre attracted 6,700 attendees over a two day period. Students in grades 7, 8, 10 and 11 attended during school hours with transportation organized by the local public and Catholic school boards.
Another hands-on component of the exposition was a skills competition which attracted more than 60 student teams in the categories of Carpentry, Small Power Equipment, and TV/Video Production. The winners of these categories advanced to a province-wide high school skills competition. Winners of a previously held robotics competition also had the opportunity to display their work at the exposition.
Options 2003 was the brainchild of the Petawawa Rotary Club in 2002. The event brought service clubs, municipalities, manufacturers, government agencies, business associations, employers and educational institutions together. Working to create this successful event, the steering committee that oversaw the project also fostered relationships for future collaboration.
The community partners recognized early on that Options 2003 had the potential to do more than simply educate young people. It gave youth a chance to test drive careers and ask questions of tradespeople working in the field. But beyond the immediate impact of reaching out to youth, the organizers hope that in the longer term it will help to address some larger demographic issues affecting Renfrew County, notably a skilled trade workers shortage, a high regional unemployment rate and youth out-migration.
Options 2003 was made possible with the financial and administrative support of: The Renfrew County CFDC; the Renfrew County District School Board; the Renfrew Catholic District School Board; The Town of Petawawa; the Rotary Club of Petawawa; the Rotary Club of Pembroke; EIP Manufacturing; Atomic Energy of Canada; Alqonquin College; the Apprenticeship Branch of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities; and Start 96 Radio.