Provincial money stokes Tec Voc aerospace training program
CBC News | Posted: April 29, 2015 7:19 PM | Last Updated: April 29, 2015
"We want to invest in people for the long haul," says the school's aerospace co-ordinator
Provincial money routed through Manitoba's Skill Build Shops fund will go towards the construction of a new aerospace shop at Technical Vocational High School (Tec Voc), as well as a renovation of the school's welding shop.
A tender has not yet been posted for construction of the new aerospace shop, so a final cost has not been determined but a spokesperson for the province said they estimated the project would be a multi-million dollar endeavour.
Upgrades to the welding shop are estimated to have an $85,000 bill.
The 18-year-old program offers a free technical-vocational program for adults and high school students in Winnipeg to train in a variety of positions in the aerospace industry.
Greg Link, the aerospace co-ordinator at Tec Voc High School, said the program boasts a 75 per cent job-placement rate.
"We equip people with quite a variety of different skills," Link said.
The aerospace program allows students to test the waters of eight or nine different jobs within the industry before they choose the path they wish to complete their training in.
Careers in the industry range from aircraft maintenance engineer, to a composite parts fabricator, to welding. Ultimately, Link said that the program leaves you with a variety of skills to operate within the industry regardless of your final training path.
Anyone can apply
The money being allotted to the program will see a facility built where airplanes and helicopters can more easily be stored for students to work on, with construction beginning in spring 2016.
This industry is important to Manitobans that are transferring job skills at this point in time, Link said.
"We want to invest in people for the long haul," he said. "Obviously the younger we get them, the better - but as long as we get the right person who is motivated, we would take them."
All applicants to the program undergo preliminary interviews and testing before being accepted. If an applicant fails in literary or mathematical skills, they are referred to Workplace Education Manitoba and encouraged to apply again the following year.
Link also said about one quarter of the program's students were female, with the school looking to increase that number.
"We've transformed a lot of people's lives. Maybe they're in a dead end position that they don't want to be in and now we start them in a career area that they've never really thought of," Link said.
Tec Voc High School is hosting an open house for the aerospace program Wednesday evening with tours beginning at 5 p.m. A presentation from four of the industry's companies starting at 6 p.m.