Written by Bruce Hallihan
Students, teachers, and parents weren’t the only ones to benefit from the first Experiential Career Summit hosted by the Centres of Excellence (COE).
The event on February 25 also allowed COE partners to showcase their work at 50 booths in Fredericton High School’s main gym.
More than 1,000 people – mainly high school students – attended the Summit in the afternoon and evening, making it a fantastic opportunity for learning and exploration.
Barry Calhoun, 67, who is a bricklayer with Wildwood Masonry and has worked in the trade for 46 years, attended the event thanks to the partnership between the Atlantic Masonry Institute and COE’s Skilled Trades and Manufacturing division.
He believes the Centres of Excellence are valuable because they let students see trades from across Canada, compare skills with other provinces, and identify areas for improvement.
“There’s a huge need for tradespeople in New Brunswick,” Calhoun said. “People like me are getting older, and we need to train young folks to step in and take our places.”
Calhoun advises anyone interested in a trade to dive right in.
“Get a job as a labourer to see what the work is really like. It’s hard work. Building something you admire takes a lot of eff ort and skill; it doesn’t just happen on its own.”
He emphasized the importance of teamwork in trades.
“There are many people involved in a project,” he explained. “Even if you admire the beautiful masonry, it wouldn’t be possible without architects and engineers. When I taught at NBCC, I always told my students, ‘You have to get along with others.'”
Jeff Willson, the executive director of Brilliant Labs, a non-profit that helps young people build coding and digital skills, was excited to promote his organization’s decade-long partnership with the Department of Education during the Summit.
“We’ve always had support from the Department, but since the Centre of Excellence for Digital Innovation started three years ago, we’ve been able to create a clearer and more useful work plan,” Willson said. “This partnership improved our communication and helped us align our goals.
The collaboration also opened more doors for Brilliant Labs to reach schools, allowing them to provide more opportunities to students.
“The Summit was a great chance for us to inspire the next generation of engineers, researchers, and scientists in New Brunswick,” he added. “We want to assure them, ‘You don’t need to leave to have a future in technology and pursue amazing careers.’”
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ONB recognizes that student retention is vital to helping New Brunswick companies meet their current and future workforce needs. That’s why we are proud to support the Centres of Excellence as they give New Brunswick students real work experience with the world-class employers we work with every day.
Learn more at https://centresofexcellencenb.ca/.