■ Skills exploration

In 2016-2017 SCNS reached 611 students from 91 junior and senior high schools in province

Drumlin Heights student Vanessa Bierworth works with NSCC Burridge Campus auto mechanic student Skyler Nickerson’s guidance during a trade skills exploration day put on by Skills Canada-Nova Scotia. Seventy-five young women in grades 8 to 11 from the Tri-County Regional School Board and Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial participated in the Skilled Futures for Women event last week.

Seventy-five young women in Grades 8 to 11 from the Tri-County Regional School Board and Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial participated in the Skilled Futures for Women event on March 7 at NSCC Burridge Campus in Yarmouth.

The experience was presented by Skills Canada - Nova Scotia (SCNS), which, on the same day, held the Nova Scotia Skills Competition for post-secondary students in Hairstyling and Aesthetics.

Skills Canada – Nova Scotia is a not-for-profit organization that provides opportunities for Nova Scotian youth to explore skilled trades and technologies, discover their passions, and strive for excellence.

Gold medallists in the skills competition will join Team Nova Scotia and advance to the Skills Canada National Competition in Edmonton this June.

Skilled Futures for Women is a one-day event that offers female students the opportunity to explore skilled trade and technology career options by participating in handson workshops, ranging from IT networking to metal fabrications.

Robin Lorway, executive director of SCNS, says women continue to be under-represented in Nova Scotia’s technology and skilled trade industries. “Our Skilled Futures series is an interactive stepping stone for students as they contemplate their career and training options,” she said.

“This event could potentially reveal exciting career opportunities for participants as they discover occupations they may not have considered before.”

Skilled Futures for Women is one in a series of career exploration events taking place from November to May at locations across the province.

Support for the March 7 event was provided by the Nova Scotia Community College, Shell Canada, the Nova Scotia Department of Education and the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency.

Scotia’s technology and skilled trade industries. “Our Skilled Futures series is an interactive stepping stone for students as they contemplate their career and training options,

— Robin Lorway, executive director of SCNS

CARLA ALLEN PHOTO

CARLA ALLEN Asia Arey (Grade 8 Maple Grove Education Centre) figures out the gear with a little help from auto mechanic student Tyler Doucette.

CARLA ALLEN There was a lot of pulling and tugging going on as Skilled Futures for Women participants tried to release shark bite fittings on pipes during a plumbing session.

CARLA ALLEN Lauren Sollows and Bella Titus (grades 8 & 9 Islands Consolidated), Elizabeth Goodwin (Grade 11 Ecole Par En Bas) and Amber Rogers (Grade 9 Drumlin Heights) work on their projects.

Auto mechanic student Meckel d’Entremont assists Dakota Titus (Islands Consolidated) with removing a rear shock absorber in the NSCC Burridge automotive shop.

CARLA ALLEN MacKenzie Saulnier, a Grade 10 student at Ecole secondaire de Clare, works the lift for automotive student Patrick Comeau.

CARLA ALLEN Students had an introduction to virtual reality during the Skilled Futures for Women event at NSCC Burridge Campus on March 7.

CARLA ALLEN The Nova Scotia Skills Competition for post-secondary students in Hairstyling and Aesthetics took place at NSCC Burridge campus on March 7.

Brook Deveau, a Grade 10 student at Digby Regional High School, drills into a stool during her experience with carpentry.