Two Grade 12 students at Wellington Heights have been recently registered as automotive apprentices as part of the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP). Both students excelled in their 4-credit cooperative education placements at WHSS in Semester 1, earning top marks in their high school cooperative education courses and earning the respect of their community employers who agreed to take the students on for apprenticeships. H. Walton worked for her placement at Dave's Auto Body in Mount Forest, and she was registered as an OYAP Apprentice in the Auto Body & Collision Damage Repairer Trade. A. Brown worked for his placement at Distinct Auto Care Incorporated in Mount Forest, and he was registered as an OYAP Apprentice in the Automotive Service Technician Trade.
The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) is a School to Work program that opens the door for students to explore and work in apprenticeship occupations through the Cooperative Education program. In this program, students have an opportunity to become registered apprentices and work towards becoming certified journeypersons in a skilled trade while completing their secondary school diplomas. The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program also enables students to make the school to work transition by direct entry into apprenticeship training, and it provides employers with the opportunity to train the skilled workers they require. Another goal of the program is to provide a viable solution to address the problem of skilled tradespeople shortages across the province.
To recognize this accomplishment, cooperative education teachers, Ms. Topham and Mr. McFarlane, congratulated both of their students and presented Walton and Brown with some brand-new tools to use in their apprenticeship programs.