School District 20 is one of 22 school districts that will benefit from a new provincially-funded program for students.
The Ministry of Education announced last Wednesday that the BC government will spend $550,000 to launch a new program called Shoulder Tappers.
The program helps students explore trades and technical training by providing career coordinators or recruitment specialists who mentor elementary and secondary school students and connect them to technical, academic, and vocational courses.
“Parents want us to make sure their children get all the help they need to chart a path to success after high school,” said Mike Bernier, minister of education, in a press release. “These grants will help districts implement Shoulder Tapper programs that can point students to the path forward and connect them with invaluable training, mentorship and career exploration.”
The coordinators will also work closely with employers, the Industry Training Authority and the Career Education Society.
School district will receive $25,000 to implement the program.
Back in December, the BC government announced a similar program for 15 school districts in northern BC in partnership with Northern Development Initiative Trust. Funding support from Norther Development allowed the ministry to extend the program this year.
The Shoulder Tappers program is designed to help the BC government meet its goal to re-engineer education and training so British Columbians “are first in line for careers of tomorrow,” as established in the Skills for Jobs Blueprint launched in April 2014.