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The skilled trades are fine - but not for me. Thath the attitude too many people have today, and it's something the Waterloo region public and separate boards of education are working hard to change. After all, they say, that's where the jobs and high pay are found. Education By Deborah Crandall n order to prepare high school slu- dents for the working work, and at the same time offer the working world better prepared employees, education and industry have to start working Mather. F -. . _. L“ ..__u:_._-|-.. mm. "Tiiif Is. exactly what the Waterloo Coun- ty Board of Education and NCR Canada Ltd. have decided lo do. . .-. .._', . ‘The thrust in education today is that we ttart't do it alone - We need the In a partnership formed with University Heights secondary school in Waterloo and NCR Canada Ltd,, both the company and students txmefit, says Henry Bloos of the board's cooperative education de- panmem. Education must be a community affair Qhanging attitudes Skilled tfades'are fine, for all A change in social attitudes toward skilled trades will be vital in dealing positively with the situation, but that can only with happen with increased public awareness about the nature and benefits of skilled and technical trades. TAC is a non-profit organization made up ot represntatives from business and indus- try, dedicated to enhancing industrial tram ing. The council's coordinator David Brown says Walsh': study shows the probiem oi skilled trades is one ot perception Yet many skilled trades, such as electri- ban, carpenter, plumber and automobile mechanic, offer job satisfaction, security and upper range wage rates. f you don't enter a white-collar career after high school - after post-secondary school - are you a failure? Does society place unrealistic importance on "suit-and-tie" jobs, "brit8tiase-carrying" jobs, and "expense account" jobs? All -----6-,, --. A‘ . _ . _ _ F"" ,__ _---_... ,.,.,-, All parents want the best for their children. inctuding a good education which leads to a lucrative, satisfying career. But society's definition of lucrative and satisfying may be pressuring young people into careers for which they are not suited for. m. .,.-, _.- ...,. mm. a... A study conducted for the Kitchener, Waterloo & Guelph Training Advisory Coun- cil (TAC) by John Walsh, Pho, an associ- ate professor at the University of Guelph, found attitudes of students and parents are “skilled trades are fine - but not for me". As a result. a shortage of personnel has plegued skilled trade industries for decades. "We're talking about changing people's attitudes towards skilled trades." Brown says. "Most parents feel their school chil- dren should go to university, but the fact is they don't all go Ft Educators are now playing an Important role In the deCISIons students are making about their careers and foto futures They are providing students wrth more Information about the "real" working world - glvmg them a taste - so that students can make suitable decistons regarding their futures, According to Henry Bloos of the Waterloo County Board of Education (WCBE) co-op- eratlve education department, 65 to 70 per cent of all students who enter grade 9 wull end up In the work force, without first going By Deborah Crandall community," Bloos says. "By that I mean that we need such groups as the Cham. ber of Commerce, government, industrial training organizations, and business and industry. The partnership program has come from the idea of 'Let's make this a community affair'." Through this program, which is mod. elied after several others operating throughout the province, an industry adopts a school - in this case NCR adopted University Heights. "TE; vagina-ate} the phrtnership is that them be benefits to both sides - creating a "win-win" situation. . . The business can take advantage of benefits such as the use of school facilites, like the gymnasium, cafeteria and playing fields. The school's machine (Continued on page 24) Lori Begonia 17-yeat-old student at Waterloo Collegiate Institute, co-op placement at the Mutual Group office in Watertoo. shop facilities may be uhlaed, or class- rooms may be used tor company semi- nars and training sessrons In some cases, the school can otter mint-courses to company employees In such areas as money management and data process- mg The school can benefit by recervrng some of the company's no longer needed equipment (NCR has given Unrversrty Heights three computers no longer needed by the company) Students may be given co-op work placements tor work experience, and the company can pro- vide guest lecturers to speak to students on industry and technology, "In other words, these are employees telling kids about their work expensncas and trials and tribulations. rather than the school telling them about the workplace," Bloos says. "And kids tend to Insten to that more," Linda Huber, also of the board's CWOP- erative education department and Co-or- dinator of the Adopt-A-School program, says the program began tnve years ago with the co-op work program for students with special needs at Universtty Heugnts NCR provided school work placements, made necessary accommodations as well " hired students with physvcal or new Iopmental challanges for pan-tume and summer employment, "NCR had been very good to us In terms of taking on special needs students for work placement. so we wanted to give something back to them," Huber says "We were able to get together and come with ways that we could help each other" In a bramsmrmmg sessnon between the school and NCR representatives, numer. ous suggestions were made as to how each could be of semce to the other. and goals and objechves for each were set NCR's goals are to provide practical on-the-job naming to students from Une verlsty Hecghls. Increase servoces aven- able to assocnates trom NCR through use of school facilities, servrces and student manpower, communicate the changing needs of busnness to educnon The school's goals are to expose students lo the 'real' wor1d oi work enhance and Improve future employabm ty ot students, give students and teachers and opportumty to "gwe back" to the" community. Improve students" attitude tttward school and work Lisa Rutherford, ot NCR's human re sources department, says the progvam will QIVE the company an opponumty to mput some ot the practical skulls they feel students shouk) be taught In school "The practical 90b experience that we wm be gtvtng the students will give them a chance to fund out what they ttke and don't like. so when they graduate they've got an Idea ot where they want to 90, Rutherford says "The Idea ot being unvolved m a high tech environment where they have to act differently than they mtght at school. IS son of a maturity- building expenence __ Bloos says the board us hoping to eventually match other local Business and Industnes wrth schools throughout the region KW Ptdiie 1989 " is spending her thttor. cm we