Reform Three-year plan unveiled for skilled trades and technology education

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FREDERICTON - For students to thrive, they need to learn about subject matter that interests them, rather than being force-fed a "one-size-fits-all" curriculum, Kelly Lamrock says.

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Ed Doherty

That theory forms the basis of reforms the education minister introduced Tuesday, which include bolstering trade and technology course options in anglophone high schools across the province.

Lamrock, who admits he performed at the back of the pack in his own high school shop class, said children need options that make them excited about the process of learning.

"Imagine if someone had said to (me) in school, you should just focus all your time in the shop till you pass it, and don't take English or writing or all the things you love doing," Lamrock said during a meeting with the Telegraph-Journal's editorial board.

"In a proper school, you have to celebrate the strengths of every child, and you have to give them a chance to succeed at something, give them a reason to get up and be engaged learners."

A key target of Lamrock's three-year plan for restructuring skilled trades and technology education involves collaborating with the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour.

Post-Secondary Minister Ed Doherty and Lamrock were both on hand at Simonds High School in Saint John to sign an agreement to develop dual enrolment opportunities, where students receive community college credit for work done in trades-related high school courses.

The plan also involves strengthening partnerships with industry to provide more hands-on training opportunities for students, in addition to a $2-million investment to retrofit and enhance shop facilities and provide professional development for teachers.

The partnerships aspect is a major red flag when it comes to serving rural schools fairly, according to Conservative MLA Mike Olscamp, who taught for 31 years.

"I have some very serious reservations about that," Olscamp said, noting access to industry resources is limited in rural areas, with many major businesses based in large cities, such as Saint John.

"It's another attack on rural New Brunswick."

Olscamp also raised concerns over where the province will find enough qualified teachers to staff the new trades courses, noting strong incentives will be needed to lure qualified individuals away from higher paying jobs.

Brent Shaw, president of the New Brunswick Teachers' Association, echoed those concerns, adding the province has reached a "breaking point" in terms of its pool of high-school trades teachers.

There are only 45 currently, he said, and about half are expected to retire in the next 20 years.

Though the new initiative is "not nearly enough," Shaw said, he's pleased to see a renewed emphasis on trades training, calling past cutbacks in vocational programs "the biggest mistake in education we've had."

For his part, Doherty lauded the initiative as a means of boosting the number of students transitioning from high school to community college programs.

He also pointed to future benefits tied to the Liberal government's self-sufficiency agenda.

"To achieve our shared goal of self-sufficiency (by 2026), New Brunswick needs its young people to be aware of their options and equipped with the skills to pursue their goals," Doherty said.

The skilled trades and technology initiative is linked to the Model Schools Project, also announced Tuesday, designed to probe successful teaching and leadership practices and offer more opportunities for students to learn through real-world applications and problem-solving.