Curtis Storer is blunt when explaining why he enjoys tech class.
“It’s not math,” said the Grade 8 student at Orchard Park Public School.
He isn’t alone in his aversion to some of the classic courses taught at school, and the Simcoe County District School Board has been responding to that reality by ramping up its skilled-trades offerings at elementary schools.
The board has been pushing technical education in its elementary schools since 2015, allowing teachers to obtain certification so they can teach related courses using equipment such as drills, scroll saws and sanders.
The certification is voluntary, and it seems teachers don’t need much convincing. More than 260 have been certified, including Elaine Vodarek.
“High school is short. They’ve got four years to figure out where they might want to go,” said the Orchard Park teacher. “If they can have exposure (to the trades) at 12 or 13, they can decide if it’s something they really enjoy or not. It’s planting that seed.”
The board has created dedicated technology education rooms in 41 of its elementary schools. Eight of them are in Orillia.
At Orchard Park, the tech room is connected to the library, which means many students get to see what’s going on.
“The students are starting to put pressure on the teachers, saying, ‘When do we get to do that?’” Vodarek said. “That is awesome.”
Even the kindergarten students are getting in on the action, building birdhouses with the help of older students. Orchard Park tech students have also visited local high schools to learn about the specialty high-skills major programs they offer.
“Even if it isn’t a career pathway they choose, it gives them something to do,” said Vodarek.
Jacob Calbert is pretty sure it will become a career for him.
“I want to be like my dad and build houses,” said Calbert, 12, a Grade 8 student at Orchard Park. “I like doing a lot of hands-on things.”
That bodes well for the future of trades in Ontario. There is currently a shortage of 200,000 trades workers in the province, and that number is expected to jump to 500,000 by 2030.
“It’s an important issue related to our economy and jobs of the future,” said Jodi Lloyd, chair of the Simcoe County District School Board. “Trades provide a very good living, and there’s certainly a shortage and an opportunity for jobs in those fields.”
Lloyd said the board is the only one in Ontario to offer dedicated tech and trades programming in elementary schools, and those efforts aren’t going unnoticed. It received the School Board Award of Distinction at this year’s Skills Ontario Competition.
Having more than 260 teachers certified “shows the dedication and interest of our staff,” Lloyd said.
“It shows that our teachers understand the need for skilled trades and that students need greater awareness of trades in the elementary panel,” she said. “It’s something we’ve worked very hard at and we’re very proud of.”
The work isn’t over yet, though.
“Our goal is to have every elementary school with a program and qualified teachers,” she said.
