In answer to declining enrollment, tweaking may be in store for a program that gives high school students a head start on careers in the trades.
"They're trying to find a way to revitalize the program because it is a concern that the numbers are dropping," school board trustee Lois Boone said. "It's hard to understand why the numbers are dropping because it is such a successful program."
The program gives students the opportunity to complete their first year of trades technical training in one of six vocations -- electrical-electronics, heavy duty-commercial transport mechanics, industrial mechanics, carpentry-joinery, welding and automotive service-autobody collision repair.
Rather than spending one semester of Grade 11 and another of Grade 12 taking courses at the College of New Caledonia's Career Technical Centre (CTC), allowing students to spend their entire Grade 12 at CNC is up for consideration, Boone said Tuesday.
"There are some advantages to that," Boone told fellow trustees during their monthly board meeting.
"The students are older at that time, they know a little bit more about what they want to do and there is also some feeling they may be more mature.
"When they come back from CTC [under the current format] they don't necessarily fit that well back into their schools because they've had the freedom of being at college for those two semesters."
Members of the program's advisory committee are reviewing the proposal with the goal of reaching a decision before September, said Boone.
In January, a graduation ceremony was held for 63 Grade 12 students from School Districts 57 and School District 91 who completed the program, compared to 71 in 2009. They are to earn their high school diplomas in June.
