Five students from Clearwater Secondary School will be immersed in the trades this spring as they attend School District 73’s Heavy Metal Rocks program in Kamloops.
CSS shop teacher and trades and transitions coordinator Dayton Fraser said he is very proud that all the local students who applied got into the program; Tyne MacLennan, Kiah Phillips, Owen Sim, Mady Clark and Alex Sauve.
The students had to fill out applications, send resumes and be interviewed to get one of the 32 seats in the program.
“It’s pretty awesome our kids are being represented at the district level,” said Fraser.
MacLennan, Phillips, Clark and Sauve are all Grade 12 students who previously completed a course in welding foundations, while Sim is a Grade 11 student.
The program is set to take place April 12-15 at the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Indian Band gravel pit and will see the students gain experience operating heavy machinery with one-to-one guidance and mentorship from a certified operator.
Students also receive certifications in first aide, site safety, WHMIS, forklift operation, and aerial platform lift operation.
More than 100 companies and sponsors, along with a large number of individuals, volunteer hours, equipment, and supplies, make the program a continued success.
“It’s pretty cool the opportunities these kids are getting,” said Fraser, adding the students will get hands-on experience on excavators, bulldozers, skidders and more.
“Their resume gets beefed up quite a bit going through the program.”
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