OVERVIEW
New Brunswick local industry recognized a need in its workforce and had a desire to see more students exposed to the welding trade. The Canadian welding and fabrication industry is experiencing a shortage of welding professionals, due to an aging Canadian population, a lack of young people being attracted to the skilled trades and the reduced focus on skilled trades training in secondary and post-secondary institutions.
From a planning and fiscal perspective, the ability to create proper welding labs across 49 high schools in NB, while securing enough qualified teachers with the correct professional learning is challenging. The solution to providing students in every community access to a high-quality experiential learning environment was the Welding on Wheels (WOW) mobile welding trailer.
Recognizing that welding is one of many skilled professions in trades and manufacturing that will be critical in the next 10 years, multiple industry leaders (OSCO, CWB, Source Atlantic, BWS, ESAB and NBCC) came together in partnership with the NB Department of Early Education and Childhood Development (EECD), to fund the creation of a transport trailer to bring welding opportunities to high school students across the province. The trailer can support 16 students in 8 welding booths with a cutting, grinding and testing area.
Students who use the trailer will benefit from online curriculum and industry-standard teacher training delivered through the CWB Welding Foundation. In addition to welding instruction, students will learn about apprenticeship pathways and career opportunities in welding and related trades and professions while earning Metals Fabrication/Welding 110/120 credit hours in the high school block of career connected learning/skilled trades cluster.
Interested?
For more detailed information about the program and the requirements to be a part of the school rotation, please contact virgil.graham@gnb.ca about this experiential learning opportunity.
