Kolby Lukinchuk wants to be a baseball player when he grows up but if that doesn't work out, he has a pretty good idea of what he will fall back on.
He was among nearly 30 elementary school students who have just completed a 10-week program that gave them a sneak peak at careers in the trades.
For the past 10 weeks, they gathered every Friday afternoon at the John Brink Trades and Technology Centre at College of New Caledonia to learn some of the skills that will allow them to earn top dollar as carpenters or electricians.
Those skills included learning how to make an extension cord, assemble a stool, wire a light fixture and hammer together a frame of two-by-fours.
"Pretty fun," was Lukinchuk's reply when asked what he thought of the experience.
And while he remains committed to playing in the Major Leagues, the Grade 7 student at Edgewood elementary school admitted the experience "might change my mind a bit."
Of the two vocations, Lukinchuk said he preferred the electrical side.
"You get to put power through stuff, more stuff that you use every day," he said.
The program was delivered in partnership with School District 57 and one of the Prince George's largest employers, Canfor, and complements the provincial government's Skills for Jobs Blueprint unveiled April 29.
The plan outlines a number of shifts to secondary and post-secondary education, including a focus on changing culture and attitudes to get more young people involved earlier in trades and technical training.
"This is an example of how we expect the system to work across the province," said Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond during a media event on the last day of class for what has been called the Canfor Elementary Trades Program.
"We can't wait to start talking to kids about trades, about technology careers in Grade 11, we need to start earlier."
As well as Edgewood, students from Harwin, Ron Brent, Spruceland and cole Lac des Bois elementary schools participated and they included a fair number of girls.
Jodi Cahoose, a Grade 7 student at Ron Brent, said she learned a lot over the 10 weeks.
"You get a good understand of how the tools are used and what kind of tools you need to build certain things," Cahoose said.
Cahoose credited her dad with getting her interested in the first place - although he makes a living as a firefighter, he carves for a hobby and showed her some of the tricks of the trade.
Cahoose is now thinking of a career as a electrician.
"I'm more into wiring than hammering with nails," Cahoose said.
Program organizers are in the process of evaluating feedback from the program, and looking at continuing the program in September with a focus on additional trades.
