New provincial investments in equipment for technical vocational and industrial arts programs will help prepare students for good jobs and help Manitoba businesses meet growing demand for skilled workers.

“With many of Manitoba’s certified tradespeople retiring in the next decade, businesses throughout our province will be looking for skilled workers,” said Education and Training Minister Ian Wishart. “These investments will enable high school students to train with the same equipment used by industry and prepare them to work in their chosen fields when they graduate.”

The Skills Strategy Equipment Enhancement Fund (SSEEF) provides targeted funding to ensure students have access to state-of-the-art equipment to learn the high-demand skills needed to find jobs in Manitoba’s growing economy, the minister said.

“We’re very grateful to the Manitoba government for this investment in the collision repair program at Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School,” said Kevan Sumner, board chair, Brandon School Division. “This investment will allow this popular program to install a modern paint booth to ensure students can continue to gain experience on up-to-date equipment that prepares them to enter the workforce with employable skills following graduation.”

The minister noted the funding ensures programming is relevant to current and future labour market needs, and particular emphasis is placed on supporting high school level programs to become accredited by Apprenticeship Manitoba.

Technical vocational and industrial arts students in grades 7 to 12 will benefit from the $1.5-million investment. Projects receiving funding through the SSEEF are:

  • $52,844 to Border Land School Division for W.C. Miller Collegiate’s culinary arts program;
  • $347,453 to Brandon School Division for Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School’s collision repair program;
  • $20,522 to Flin Flon School Division for Hapnot Collegiate’s woodworking and metals programs;
  • $64,925 to Fort La Bosse School Division for Virden Collegiate’s automotive technology program;
  • $115,964 to Frontier School Division for Frontier Collegiate’s welding and automotive programs and Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Educational Resource Centre’s fashion design program;
  • $38,649 to Garden Valley School Division for Garden Valley Collegiate’s automotive technology and heavy-duty equipment technician programs;
  • $110,545 to Hanover School Division for Steinbach Regional Secondary School’s industrial arts and welding programs;
  • $12,603 to Interlake School Division for Warren Collegiate’s industrial arts program;
  • $13,474 to Kelsey School Division for Mary Duncan School’s hairstyling and cosmetology program;
  • $31,734 to Louis Riel School Division for Louis Riel Arts & Technology Centre’s automotive technician and baking and pastry programs;
  • $29,961 to Mountain View School Division for Grandview School’s woodworking program and Dauphin Regional Comprehensive Secondary School’s automotive technology and carpentry programs;
  • $39,488 to Mystery Lake School Division for R.D. Parker Collegiate’s automotive technology and hairstyling programs;
  • $32,321 to Pembina Trail School Division for Shaftesbury High School’s industrial arts program;
  • $9,499 to Prairie Rose School Division for Carmen Collegiate’s woodworking program;
  • $164,493 to River East Transcona School Division for Kildonan East Collegiate’s auto-body repair program, Murdoch MacKay Collegiate’s metal fabrication program and Arthur Day Middle School’s woodworking program;
  • $51,131 to Sunrise School Division for École Edward Schreyer School’s metal working program;
  • $108,688 to Western School Division for Morden Collegiate’s welding, plumbing and pipe trades programs;
  • $224,439 to Winnipeg School Division for Tec Voc High School’s building construction, culinary arts, machine technology, pastry arts and welding tech programs, and the graphic design and woodworking programs at École Stanley; and
  • $31,171 to the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology for welding, auto mechanics and industrial mechanic/millwright programs for students from the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine.