May. 13, 2015
Amy Smith, Director of Operations, CCA, and Craig Palmer, Construction Career Development Coordinator, CCA present the “Building Futures Industry Partnership Award” to the Board of Trustees.
The Calgary Board of Education has received the Building Futures Industry Partnership Award from the Calgary Construction Association (CCA). The award, presented to the CBE at a public board meeting on May 12, recognizes the many ways we have worked with the CCA over the past nine years to support students interested in construction careers.
“The Calgary Construction Association takes our role in corporate social responsibility seriously and is extremely proud to award the Calgary Board of Education with the partnering with industry award,” said Stephanie Roll, Chair of the CCA. “We are thrilled to help foster a strong relationship with the school boards and are ensuring a strong workforce for the construction industry by providing students with the opportunity for an exciting and rewarding construction career path after graduation.”
The CCA provides opportunities for CBE students to be exposed to a variety of careers in construction. One of these is through the annual Calgary Construction Expo at the BMO Centre (2015 – 9th Annual!). This hands-on event allows students to try several construction trades under the supervision of volunteer certified journeypersons. The expo has grown over the years with more than 2,000 middle and high school students attending annually.
In addition, the CCA has worked with the CBE, Calgary Catholic School District and SAIT in developing a try-a-trade initiative. One component of this considered how the CCA and its members might better connect with CBE students. The result was the approval from CCA’s board of directors to purchase equipment, power tools and shop supplies for all CBE high school construction programs.
CBE students enrolled in the dual credit carpentry program at SAIT.
The CCA also partnered with the CBE this year to offer the first high school dual-credit carpentry program at SAIT. This program has enabled a cohort of 16 CBE students to attend SAIT three times a week for three semesters. While at SAIT, students work through the requirements to complete the first year of their technical training. The CCA purchased all the tools and personal protective equipment for the CBE students in this program, and is hoping to provide summer employment opportunities for these students.
“Our relationship with the CCA plays a significant role in supporting our students in their passion for construction,” said Gerry Fijal, director, learning with the CBE. “It highlights the need for industry support and the returns we can expect on such an investment. The CBE is proud to partner with the CCA and looks forward to working together for many years to come.”
