By Chad Klassen

Heavy Metal Rocks marks 10 years of helping students with career in trades

Apr 20, 2018 | 3:15 PM

KAMLOOPS — A select group of students from across School District 73 have been getting their hands dirty the last two days, taking part in the 10th Heavy Metal Rocks event. 

The decade-old program gives students — this year 26 — a unique opportunity to try out different types of machinery. Friday marked the second day of this year’s event and students have been soaking up the experience. 

“Once-in-a-lifetime experience, getting to drive all these heavy equipment operators, meeting all these people, hopefully get a summer job working with one of them,” said student Taylor Kaban. 

Student Logan Sales from Valleyview said this experience has opened his eyes to different career opportunities. 

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“It’s a great experience because I hadn’t really had the chance to ever really be on machinery like this before,” said Sales. “Now I have and I feel like my pathways have opened up a lot. I’m getting hands-on hydrovacing, doing the wood processing, so I get a look at forestry, and then also get to work in the dirt. 

The district started the program a decade ago and has seen the demand grow expontentially ever since, fielding 57 applicants this year before selecting the 26 students. 

“It’s becoming more and more popular and I think what it is, is the word is getting out there,” said outgoing district vice-principal of trades Ron Collins. “We’ve actually had students this year participate as operators that started the program in its inaugural year, the first year. So we’ve had several students come back.”

Collins said the district is trying to prepare the students for a career in the trades with 13 different stations to experience. 

“The power line station, that was an addition three yaers ago. This year, we’ve added forestry to the mix. We have a rock drill, we have a hydrovac truck, several different opportunities,” noted Collins. “It’s not just the heavy equipment that it started out with.”

The students have one more day to try the machines before this year’s three-day event wraps up on Saturday.