Latest news with #GECDSB
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Apprenticeship issues on agenda at Toronto Summit
Industry leaders in the skilled trades sector will gather in Toronto for the 2025 Ontario Apprenticeship Summit on Thursday, where they are scheduled to discuss issues CTV News Windsor has covered in depth. On the agenda, workshops promoting apprenticeships and certification, improving public perception and identifying system gaps. 'It's a way to actually jumpstart their career and test the waters,' said Jason Lepain, coordinator for the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) at the Greater Essex Country District School Board (GECDSB). He is part of a new pilot program offering hands-on electrical training to high school students thanks to a partnership between the public school board and the Carpenters union. 'The big questions we get often from employers and co-op teachers is…how will this affect their journeyperson to apprentice ratio.' Under the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, to become a licenced electrician, you must complete 9,000 hours as a registered apprentice. The current ratio of journeypersons to apprentices for electricians is generally a 1:1 ratio. But the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act details OYAP students, sponsored by a business, do not count for that ratio. 'In essence, a sponsor can take on a student and also have an apprentice as well,' Lepain confirmed. 'Having said that, when a student graduates from secondary school and they become a full-fledged apprentice, it would change that ratio.' 'There is some interconnection now,' said Jeff Keyeux, a master electrician, small business owner and former teacher St. Clair College. 'I take this 16-year-old…that doesn't even know how to work for somebody. Doesn't know how to show up on time, hasn't gone to the program at the college, and yet they can be registered.' He says there are college graduates who are more invested in the industry but can't lock down an apprenticeship partly because of the ratio requirements. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development did not provide comment as of this time. More to come.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Flag raising at GECDSB celebrates Pride month
Pride flag raising ceremony at the headquarters of the GECDSB in Windsor on June 2. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor) The Pride flag was raised Monday morning at the office of the Greater Essex County District School Board's (GECDSB) headquarters in Windsor. The message is clear – the school board is on the side of inclusion for residents in the community who identify as LGBTQIA2S+. Monday's ceremony and flag raising recognizes June as Pride month on the calendar. The Pride flag will fly throughout the month in recognition and support - and to draw attention to other marginalized groups in our society. For young people in schools who do identify as LGBTQIA2S+, the flag represents acknowledgement of the struggle for equality and acceptance. Wendy Nicholson is president of Windsor Essex Pride Fest and has been at the forefront of the Pride movement in the community for over 30 years. Nicholson champions efforts to make schools in the community a safe place for all, without exception. 'It's very significant just to show that the school board has everybody's back,' said Nicholson. 'They [GECDSB] are here to support not just the LGBTQIA2S+ community, but for all the marginalized kids that are in the school board. It's something very important that needs to be recognized throughout the county – Windsor-Essex.'
CTV News
29-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
New Pilot Program offers Electrical Training for High School Students
Workshop at United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. The access to learning a skilled trade for high school students is expanding in the Windsor-Essex region. A press conference was held Thursday at United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America (Local 494), Old Castle, Ontario. The Greater Essex County District School Board's (GECDSB) enhanced construction program (ECP) will include the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). 052925 - Windsor apprenticeship Press conference held at United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor) This new pilot program offers hands-on electrical training for pupils in a co-op format. Grade 11 students who are accepted to the IBEW program can earn credits toward their high school diploma next year while gaining valuable experience in the electrical trades. The enhanced construction program includes trades such as general carpenter and drywall, acoustic and lathing applicator. Since the 2020-2021 school years, 148 students have enrolled in ECP and 53 have received offers of employment from the union following the completion of their co-op program. Graduates are currently progressing through their apprenticeship pathway. Angelica Landgraff is an ECP co-op student and attends Walkerville High School in Windsor. 'This trade, I feel like it applies to any skill that you could have,' said Landgraff. 'If you are more academically minded - there's a lot of math involved. If you're a more hands on, it's definitely hands on as well. And if you are more creative, you have to find creative ways to fix problems,' said Landgraff. 052925 - Windsor apprenticeship High school co-op students at the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor) Gavin Kritzer, a 17-year-old student, is in the IBEW co-op program and already has employment lined up once he graduates from Erie Migration District Secondary School in Kingsville, Ontario. 'I was with Tucker Electric and then ended up working there last summer and got asked to go back,' said Kritzer. 'So, I applied for the same co-op, got in again - and I've been working with them ever since. I applied for the union March of this year and ended up getting in. So, I got my employment lined up for after high school.' Prospective co-op students for trades programs in the community should apply early – space in the pilot program is limited.
CTV News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
Students shine on school board's 'Day of Champions'
Student athletes take part in the GECDSB's Day of Champions event at Sandwich Secondary School in Windsor, Ont., on Monday, May 5, 2025. (Travis Fortnum/CTV News Windsor)
