Students in Steinbach have started the school year with a new grade 9 to 12 high school expansion, and an addition and renovation to skills-training space at the existing high school. This announcement was made by Premier Greg Selinger as he joined staff and students to celebrate the grand opening.
The Steinbach Regional Secondary School, located at 190 McKenzie Avenue, gets major expansion and renovation.
“This new school gives students more opportunities to learn and develop the skills they need to get the good jobs that are available right here in Manitoba,” said Premier Selinger. “The expansion allows more young Manitobans to hit the ground running when they graduate by getting their first year of apprenticeship or accredited training while still in high school.”
Steinbach Regional Secondary School (SRSS) is a grade 9 to 12 academic and vocational high school. The new campus includes:
- a 10,100-sq.-ft. program expansion to the wood manufacturing, welding, building construction and power mechanics shop;
- 2,500 sq. ft. of renovated shop space for the existing welding program; and
- 92,400 sq. ft. of new high school and child-care space.
With the addition of 105,000 sq. ft. of new space, SRSS will be approximately 300,000 sq. ft. and has created capacity to house up to 1,900 grade 9 to 12 students, as well as Grade 10 students from the Steinbach catchments of Blumenort, Kleefeld, Mitchell and New Bothwell.
“In addition to supporting the demand for skills-training programs in construction, power mechanics and welding, this new facility will accommodate this region’s growing high school enrolment brought on by immigration, so that the community of Steinbach can continue to grow and thrive,” said Premier Selinger.
The new addition will also house a new storefront cosmetology/esthetics, family studies and home economics labs as well as a new child-care centre with spaces for 74 preschool children, Family Services Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross said.
“Families need good-quality child care where they know their children will be safe while they are at work or upgrading their own education and skills,” Minister Irvin-Ross said. “Under the new five-year plan, the Manitoba government has committed to creating 5,000 new and newly funded spaces. There are more than 660 licensed centres across Manitoba with almost half located in schools.”
The facility targets LEED Gold standards and meets the province’s green building policy and Manitoba Hydro Power Smart objectives, with significant improvements in energy performance and environmental sustainability.
“These changes enable us to provide significantly upgraded learning opportunities for all students, in particular those in the technical vocational areas of construction, welding, power mechanics and cosmetology,” said Randy Dueck, superintendent, Hanover School Division. “The community is now well-positioned to serve the learning needs of students for years to come. On behalf of the community, Hanover School Division thanks the Manitoba government for its vision and support in providing excellent learning facilities for generations of students.”
The Manitoba government has launched a comprehensive skills strategy with targeted investments in schools to provide students with access to state-of-the-art equipment that will create a pathway to post-secondary education and good jobs, the premier said. This includes:
- a new, $30-million Skill Build Shops fund to build and expand trades and skills shops in high schools across the province;
- a new, $1-million career development fund to ensure students leave high school with a good idea of where they want to go and how to get there, whether it is through a university, college, work placement or on-the-job training and apprenticeship; and
- a new, $1-million Skill Build Equipment fund to upgrade classrooms to an apprenticeship-accredited level and bring welding, electrical, carpentry and culinary arts equipment into schools across Manitoba.
The project created over 200 jobs and provided business to a number of local contractors and other businesses, the premier added.
