Thanks to two industry organizations, Ursuline College Chatham has received $80,000 in grants for the purchase of machinery and tools.
The funding comes from the Canadian Tooling & Machining Association (CMTA) and the Ontario Council for Technology Education (OCTE) in partnership with 22 school boards throughout the province.
“We are very pleased and thankful to receive this tremendous grant,” UCC Principal Lisa Harnarine said in a release. “The equipment we purchase will be a great benefit to our students whose career pathways include the skilled trades.”
The secondary school will be receiving a CNC router, two vertical drilling machines and a metal lathe at a cost of $75,000. It will also receive $5,000 in tools, including class sets of micrometers, calipers, metal rulers, a vise and drill set.
“Our goal is to expose high school students to technology at an earlier age to engage their interest for a career within our industry,” CTMA executive director Robert Cattle said.
“Not only does this expose students to newer technology at an earlier age, but also gives teachers up-to-date equipment to implement in their classrooms.”
The program also provides work placements for high school co-op students, with a focus on precision metal cutting.
Each student is paid an hourly rate while earning co-operative credits.
“Our government is proud to support projects that expose high school students to the skilled trades early on,” Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton said.
“Our province needs more skilled workers and attracting more young people into these rewarding careers is crucial to that objective. I want to congratulate the CTMA and OCTE for this incredible initiative.”
The Career-Ready with CTMA: Expanding Opportunities program is funded in part by the provincial and federal governments.