News Release Archive
EDUCATION/CULTURE--GIRLS EXPLORE FUTURE OF TRADES AND TECHNOLOGY ----------------------------------------------------------------- Instead of spending the summer at the beach, 40 girls in grades six, seven and eight will be introduced to a wide variety of exciting career opportunities and get some hands-on experience by attending a Girls Exploring Trades and Technology (GETT) Camp. "Education is about learning, exploring and giving students the skills and confidence to create opportunities for themselves," said Education and Culture Minister John MacEachern. "The GETT Camps will provide girls with the chance to learn more about numerous and challenging opportunities that exist in trades and technology." The aim of the camp is to highlight the importance of math and science in future career options for females and to encourage young women to take courses in these areas at the high school level and beyond. With the high standards required for entrance in apprenticeship programs and the Community College, he said it is important for students to take their studies seriously and enroll in courses, such as technology studies, which provide them with practical applications of math, science and technology. Emphasizing the importance of role models, camp participants will also visit work sites which feature exciting technology and meet women working in trades and technology. As the highlight of the week, participants will work under the guidance of certified tradeswomen to build and race a go-cart of their own design. With a substantial donation from the Imperial Oil Charitable Foundation and financial assistance from Pratt and Whitney Canada, Halifax Operations, camp participants will enjoy five days of activities free of charge. "As part of the foundation's commitment to youth and education in Canada, we are pleased to provide support for the GETT Camps," said Susan Young, treasurer of the Imperial Oil Charitable Foundation. "Pratt and Whitney Canada supports initiatives, such as the GETT program, that encourage women and other under-represented groups to seek opportunities in trades and technology. The benefit to our company is the dynamic workforce that is created through diversity," said Ivano Andriani, the company's manager of Human Resources in Halifax. Program organizers say the support and services provided by the apprenticeship training division of the Department of Education and Culture, the Department of Human Resources, the Halifax Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College, the Ship Repair Machinists and Mechanics Union (Halifax Dockyards), the Union of Canadian Transport Employees, Local 80829 and the Discovery Centre will ensure the success of the camps. Developed by the national organization Women in Trades and Technology (WITT), the GETT Camp program has enjoyed success in seven other provinces. This is the first year for the program in Nova Scotia, and organizers have scheduled three camps in the metro area with a fourth scheduled for Eskasoni. Each camp will provide space for 10 participants. Although scheduled as a day camp, participants from outside metro who provide their own travel and accommodations will not be restricted from registering. The participants for this year's camps will be selected through a draw at a special event on June 7, at the Discovery Centre. -30- Contact: Lisa Bugden 902-424-2615 trp May 29, 1996 - 12:37 p.m.