By Chad Klassen

Students get to Try A Trade at TRU

Mar 4, 2016 | 4:10 PM

KAMLOOPS — Elementary students from across the district, as well as a class from Lillooet, got their chance to try out different trades on Friday at Thompson Rivers University. 

The students got to try every trade the university offers, including plumbing, getting to make a candle holder by sodering two pieces of copper together. They also got to try welding and carpentry, picking up a hammer and driving a nail into wood. It’s all part of the ‘Try A Trade’ program run every year by School District 73.

“The goal is just to explore at this point,” says Vice Principal for Trades and Technology Ron Collins. “They’re young, obviously, they’ve got lots of decisions to make in the future. But this is just to give them some exploratory experience and some hands-on work. Let them try things out.”

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There were 240 kids participating at TRU on Friday, compared to just 80 students last year, and district officials hope to expand the program in the future.

“Part of the new cirriculum for the BC Ed plan is career development,” says Collins. “We just want the students to come up here [to TRU] to try it out. This year it’s mainly elementary students, but we’re looking at possibly doing another day with secondary students.”