NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE MUSKOKA CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
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A milling machine, a lathe, and a plasma table. These are just some of the pieces of equipment headed for many classrooms in the area.
Two high schools in the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board (SMCDSB) and two high schools in the Simcoe County District School Board (SCDSB) received a generous donation from a partnership between the Canadian Tooling and Machining Association (CTMA) and the Ontario Council for Technology Education (OCTE).
The funds are intended to address the skilled-trade labour shortage that exists in the precision metalworking sector. It will enable the purchase of capital equipment to upgrade high school manufacturing facilities to prepare students for industry standards.
Here is a breakdown of how the funds will be distributed:
- St. Peter’s Catholic Secondary School, Barrie, $20,500 for a lathe
- St. Theresa’s Catholic High School, Midland, $42,500 for a milling machine
- St. Theresa’s Catholic High School, Midland, $29,200 for a plasma table
- Collingwood Collegiate Institute, Collingwood, $37,330.00 for a First vertical milling machine
- Nottawasaga Pines Secondary School, Angus, $69,752.00 for a Haas Mini Mill
Wade Tower is the secondary program co-ordinator for the SMCDSB.
“In my 25 years of working in education and trades promotion, this feels like the most significant and seamless partnership I’ve ever seen. The OCTE and CTMA have worked hard to remove barriers and support schools with state-of-the-art equipment for students and we are so thankful.”
“We are grateful to the CTMA for this very generous donation to our technology programs and appreciate the work of the OCTE team in facilitating this partnership,” said Theresa Watt, technological education facilitator with the SCDSB. “Technology programs provide students with the skills needed for a career in the trades, having experience with state-of-the-art equipment gives them a competitive edge.”
Both school boards are committed to closing the skilled trades gap and exposing students to the myriad of opportunities available to them in the province. Having state-of-the-art equipment for students to work with at high school will be hugely beneficial.
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