Over 60 students got hands-on experience with the trades this week.
College Boreal opened its classroom to about 65 female students from seven schools in Timmins, Chapleau and the New Liskeard area to learn about different career options.
Jessica Lachance is in charge of College Boreal's school partnerships and noted in the north where students are in small schools, they don't always have access to sepecialized classrooms.
"They won’t get the chance within high school to explore, which makes them even more uncertain when they come to post-secondary levels, so this is a way to expose them while they’re still in ninth grade and continue to give them opportunities to explore, hoping that once they get to the post-secondary level they’ve already found that pathway towards the trades,” she said.
Throughout the day, the girls learned about different courses, including electrical, welding, truck and coach, heavy duty equipment, and architecture.
Walking into the electrical class at the start, she said the students were timid and unsure.
"I just walked in and I got high fives all around cause their lightbulbs lit up. So it was really encouraging and empowering for these girls,” explained Lachance.
