Students put lessons learned on safety to the test

Left-right are Trent Martin, Danny-Al Ward and Donald Hewko-Degner. They took the gold medal in the Grade 9 group. They discussed the transportation of dangerous goods for their 10-minute health and safety speech.

Mac Olsen
South Peace News

Looking for all the safety hazards in a carpentry shop, a house and an automotive shop is no easy task, but this is what some students recently had to do. Noela Vander- meulen, a teacher and the Youth Apprenticeship Program (YAP) coordinator at Prairie River Junior High, took 42 students in Grades 8 and 9 to the Northern Lakes College campus in Grouard April 29. Besides looking for the safety hazards, they had to give a 10-minute health and safety speech on a topic of their choice, and complete a 20-minute theory exam. There were gold, medal and silver winners in each grade, and their names, along with the topics for their health and safety speeches, are listed as follows. Grade 8 * Gold: Evan Grif- fiths, Tori Stuart and Kashlynn Ward; and they discussed personal protective equipment. * Silver: Kelissa Getz, Destinie Getz (Kelissa’s sister), Darrell Hutchings and Dustin Wilson; and they discussed the transportation of dangerous goods. * Bronze: Zack Bliss, Kyle Olansky, Michael Peterson and Jacob Pratt; and they discussed fire safety. Grade 9 * Gold: Donald Hewko-Degner; Trent Martin and Danny-Al Ward; and they discussed the transportation of dangerous goods. * Silver: Jarett Abram, Clinton Willier and Jeff Rodrigue; and they discussed the Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). * Bronze: Colin Bjornson, Dane Frie- sen, Riley Lamouche and Amadeus Giroux; and they discussed burns and first aid for their topic. For their health and safety speeches, the students prepared information on small cards and cardboard displays. Three judges evaluated the students on the depth of their topics’ knowledge, and asked them questions as well. Hansen, Hawryliw, Cole and Potvin talked about electrical hazards, such as not taking off the third prong of a plug to fit it in a two-prong outlet. They were not nervous making their presentation. They like YAP, especially the hands-on activities. Potvin says it is important to get more information about the trades, as students do not know a lot about them. “It helps to prepare you for the future, and (helps with) career decisions,” says Hansen. Abrams and Willier explained WHMIS is used nationwide, and it is an important part of the workplace. Their cardboard display highlighted Class A (compressed gas) and Class B (flammable and combustible) materials. They spent a long time preparing for their presentation, and were nervous when making it, but they got through it. For their confined spaces topic, Jamie Emard, Rhiley Laderoute and Tyler Zabolotniuk explained what to do before entering a silo, open ditch or sewer. They also talked about poor air quality and chemical exposure. They, too, felt nervous during their presentation, but enjoyed it and said it is good to have a program like YAP. According to an information sheet issued by Alberta Advanced Education, the Youth Apprenticeship Program is for students in Grades 7-9, and they explore career options through integrated learning activities that include linking academic and applied learning. The students receive hands-on learning opportunities in school, through worksite visits/placements and by viewing demonstrations of key workplace skills by journeyman tradespeople and other professionals. Through YAP, students will be able to earn credits toward their high school diploma; train to work in a locally-needed trade, agriculture career or other occupations; gain hours toward a selected apprenticeship program; and earn safety and other career-related credentials. Vandermeulen emphasizes YAP does not restrict students only to the trades. “It (YAP) is valuable because what they learn is relevant in the workforce,” says Vandermeulen. “We expose them to various trades, and it’s not a vocational stream whereby they are sent directly into the trades. Some students will choose the trades, and others will choose a different academic pursuit.” Three of her students – Donald Hewko-Degner, Trent Martin and Danny-Al Ward – are further ahead and enrolled in the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). Normally, students have to wait until high school to enrol in this program, but Hewko-Degner, Martin and Ward have been able to do so in Grade 9. Martin is working at Big Lakes Dodge to apprentice as an automotive service technician, and Ward and Hewko-Degner are training at Egan’s Restaurant Pub to become cooks. Al Churchill is the senior trades coordinator for Northern Lakes College in Slave Lake. He says the College is providing the Youth Apprenticeship Program in partnership with High Prairie School Division No. 48. He also says trades is a wonderful career option. “It’s an ‘earn while you learn’ situation,” says Churchill. “They go out in the field for a year and make good money. Then they come for trades training, and we’re one of nine colleges that delivers trades training.” The students go in for eight weeks of training, and return to the field and work for another eight weeks. There are 52 trades and 17 occupations recognized in Alberta, he adds.

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