SHSM students showcase work at M&T Graphics Factory
June 21, 2017
GUELPH, Ontario – A semester of hard work and experiential learning was on display at the M&T Graphics Factory this week.
On Tuesday, Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) Co-op students from the Upper Grand District School Board and Wellington Catholic District School Board showcased their work at a graphic arts and design open house.
Through a partnership with M&T Printing, students spend one semester immersed in the M&T Graphics Factory.
M&T has opened up its workspace to the students, allowing them to gain authentic experience working in graphic design. The students complete jobs for local clients, many of them non-profit organizations.
This is the first year that the UGDSB has participated in the program. UGDSB teacher Dwight Shouldice, along with his WCDSB counterpart, lead the course and were on-hand Tuesday to celebrate the students’ work and provide families and community members with information about the program and process the students were involved in this year.
As they design in the lab, students learn to think of the end product, whether their work will be printed by an implementer on one of M&T’s large-scale printers, or be produced by woodworking or manufacturing students in the UGDSB. The program allows students the rare opportunity to experience the design process from start to finish.
In taking the program, students earn a credit in either communications or media arts, as well as two co-op credits. The credits all count toward their SHSM qualifications.
Staff at M&T said they have been continually impressed by the work produced by all the students in the program, highlighting that this is real work they are doing for clients in the community.
One student, Allistair, said that one of the great things about the program was gaining experience in the industry in a real and meaningful way, of being accountable to a client, having deadlines and meeting expectations.
Congratulations to all students on a successful semester.