Graduating into jobs – EESS alumni discuss apprenticeships

Former East Elgin Secondary School students who graduated straight into skilled jobs, thanks to EESS’s co-operative education department and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program, returned to their alma mater on Friday morning, Feb. 8, to urge current co-op students to consider following the same path.

EESS at the moment has 11 students enrolled in OYAP.

They spend part of the year at EESS and in local work placements, and part at a college, getting simultaneous high school and post-secondary credits for doing so. They said that while the program involved intensive studies and hard work, educators and employers alike took into consideration they were dealing with high-schoolers, and were eager to see more youths entering skilled trades.

Currently, the OYAP program is open to students interested in careers as a welder, automotive technician, hair stylist, general machinist and electrician.

Read more about five alumni and their experiences in co-op, apprenticeship, school and work in the Feb. 13 edition of The Aylmer Express.