News Release Archive

EDUCATION/CULTURE--GIRLS EXPLORE FUTURE OF TRADES AND TECHNOLOGY
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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.

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Contact: Lisa Bugden  902-424-2615

trp                    May 29, 1996 - 12:37 p.m.