High school students in Baker Lake, Nunavut, try their hand at trades

About 70 high school students in the hamlet of Baker Lake, Nunavut, have their regular classes on hold this week, as they get a taste of post-secondary trades during the school's third annual Trades Awareness Skills and Knowledge week.

Agnico Eagle, owners of the nearby Meadowbank mine, and Nunavut Arctic College partnered to deliver programming during the week, which includes courses onplumbing, cooking, hairdressing, welding, mechanics and electrical work.

"It's important for our students, because it gives them an opportunity to get some experience in different post-secondary trades areas so they can be better informed and have some good ideas about what it is they'd like to do after graduation," said Chris Snow, the vice principal ofJonah Amitnaaq Secondary School.

"But it really supports the idea of strengthening our skilled workforce in the region."

According to Snow, many graduates from Baker Lake getinto the trades after high school, andstudents are noticeably more engaged this week than they are during regular classes.

"We have anumberof students who are just really interested in hands-on learning,and learning those different skills that comes in the workplace," he said.

"It helps motivate students to show them there are things to look forward to after high school, and it's great for these companies that are looking to have much deeper skilled labour pool to be able to draw on."