Ursuline College Chatham Catholic Secondary School will be purchasing some new machinery and tools thanks to a recent grant meant to further education in skilled trades.
The funding comes from the Canadian Tooling Machining Association and the Ontario Council for Technology Education in partnership with 22 school boards across Ontario. Through the initiative, new high-tech equipment will be delivered to 40 high schools throughout the province.
UCC will be receiving a CNC router, two vertical drilling machines and a metal lathe at a cost of $75,000. In addition, the school will receive $5,000 in tools, including class sets of micrometers, calipers, metal rulers, a vise and a drill set.
“Our goal is to expose high school students to technology at an earlier age to engage their interest for a career within our industry,” said CTMA Executive Director Robert Cattle. “Not only does this expose students to newer technology at an earlier age, but also gives teachers up-to-date equipment to implement in their classrooms.”
The program also provides experiential work placements for high school co-op students, with a focus in the precision metal cutting sector. Each student is paid an hourly rate while earning cooperative education credits.
“We are very pleased and thankful to receive this tremendous grant,” said UCC Principal Lisa Harnarine. “The equipment we purchase will be a great benefit to our students whose career pathways include the skilled trades.”