Mayor's Blog

One of the cool things our area is known for is the abundance of opportunity. Whether that be the opportunity for work, adventure, or lifestyle, our region has plenty to offer. I myself went to school here and graduated from Roland Michener. I started my universities studies through Northern Lakes College and technically I still work at my first job. Lately we are seeing somewhat of a downturn in the economy and although I think 2015 will have its challenges, things in Northern Alberta don’t usually stay quiet for long. So what does this mean? My prediction…Labour is still going to be an issue for many years to come in our area of the world. Trades has always been a topic of discussion, mostly around the fact we don’t have enough. The RAP program (Registered Apprenticeship Program) was something that existed and some of my friends took advantage of this. It allowed them to get work experience and get paid for it all the while working towards their trade certification. In recent years, we have seen a new program evolve called the dual credit program. High Prairie School Division saw the need to incorporate student learning in the work force and expand as the interest and labour shortages don’t exist only in trades, but in many professions. With that thought in mind, they created a program where you could get high school credits as well as post secondary credits at the same time. There are very few instances in life where $1 is actually worth $2 but this appears to be one of them. The program is broad encompassing everything from carpentry, welding and millwright to early childcare, health care aide, power engineering and esthetics just to name a few. Students have the options to take part in courses right at Northern Lakes College or some can be done online through Lakeland College. The program also tries to work with employers to connect them with a much needed labour force. I don’t pretend to know everything about education, and in truth one of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't finish my business degree. I will confess, however, learning on the job I probably learned more than some of the most educated people in the field. I only bring this up to highlight the fact that when I was in High School, I thought I knew everything. My parents are laughing because I still pretend I do. What I think is missing from the current curriculum is more knowledge for students on the opportunities and choices out there. This program I feel is a fantastic opportunity to explore some possibilities. As a student I wish they would have had something like this when I was younger. My message to students, seize this great opportunity! To the employers out there struggling to find people, this might be the smartest phone call you ever made. I am by no means the expert, but I am sure if you give Inka Hart a call at HPSD she will be happy to give you all the information you need. Feel free to check out the video posted on our town website. Don’t make the mistake of letting something great pass you by!