Choosing a career path in life is hard, but the Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) is trying to make it a little easier for their students.
At their March 20 meeting, the board of trustees got a full rundown of the programs being implemented across the district to help give students a leg-up when it comes to post-secondary education.
"I think that these programs are so valuable for students because it gives them real life experience that will help them determine what path they're going to take in the future. It allows them the opportunity to try different things out and gain some experience, expertise, and to get the first step in the path," expressed board chair Mary Anne Penner.
New to LCSD this year, the university exposure program is offered in conjunction with Portage College. To start out with, there are two courses being offered to students in May: university science and environmental science. Approximately 80 students from across the district have signed up to take part in the new opportunity.
"With the environmental science exposure, students will travel up to Lac La Biche to the natural resources technician facility. They'll work with professors in an applied one-day intensive learning opportunity," explained CTS coordinator Amanda Wildman, adding students will learn about a variety of topics from tree and shrub investigation to outdoor survival.
"The university science opportunity is taking place with the science 30 class from Notre Dame High School. They will have a lecture with a science professor first and participate in a lab at the Cold Lake campus."
LCSD's dual credit courses, which allow students to gain post-secondary credits while still in high school, have continued to be popular across the district.
Current course offerings include early learning and childcare, hairstyling, oil and exploration, and the registered apprenticeship program (RAP), among others.
This school year, based on semester one and projected enrollment for semester two, approximately 65 per cent of Grade 10 to 12 students are completing a dual credit course.
When school's out for the summer, Wildman explained to the board that the opportunities for students looking for that extra learning don't take a break. Through Lakeland Catholic's summer program, there are credits to be earned in work experience, RAP, and the summer internship program.
"Students who might have a very full course load during the regular school year now have the opportunity to pursue work experience, RAP, and internship opportunities during the summer months," noted Wildman.
Around 40 students took advantage of the program last summer and LCSD is "on target for another successful summer program in 2018."
New to their summer offerings last year was a welding program, which took place over three weeks in July. After a successful start, the district is planning to offer it again this summer.
"Out of the six students, there were two female students and I think that's something to celebrate as well. We have females that are pursuing pathways in the trades."
In addition to their current programming, LCSD was recently approved for a $50,000 grant from Alberta Education for a new dual credit learning opportunity incorporating pre-employment heavy equipment technician, electrical, and robotics courses.
