News Archives: College and High School Proudly Partner to Increase Learning Opportunities in Edson
Thursday, January 18th, 2018
EDSON – Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC) and Grande Yellowhead Public School Division (GYPSD) are proud partners in an exciting new learning opportunity with offering a Pre-Employment Welding certificate at Parkland Composite High School (PCHS) in Edson.
The College will offer the certificate program at PCHS starting February 1, 2018, to anyone in the community interested in pursing a career as a welder. The program will also be offered as a dual credit program, which provides high school students the ability to kick start their post-secondary learning while earning credits towards graduation requirements as well as credits towards a post-secondary welding ticket.
The Pre-Employment Welding certificate follows the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT) Welder curriculum. Students who successfully complete the program will have the opportunity to challenge the first-year welder exam to continue in the Welder Apprenticeship program. If successful, high school students are able to continue their Welder Apprenticeship program through the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) at PCHS, or after graduation, continue their apprenticeship including attending GPRC for their technical training.
Grande Yellowhead invested $95,000 into its shop at Parkland with electrical infrastructure upgrades, new HVAC system, lighting and eight new welding booths with state-of-the-art equipment to meet the requirements for the AIT. GYPSD would also like to sincerely thank the local businesses Tourmaline Oil Corp and Baron Oilfield Supply who also provided funding for materials.
“Grande Yellowhead’s involvement in High School Redesign, dual credit courses, registered apprenticeship programs, work experience, and other programs and initiatives allow our students to create different pathways to success,” noted Carolyn Lewis, GYPSD’s Superintendent of Schools. “With a concerted effort to strengthen and build trust in all of our stakeholder relationships, we are proud to partner with organizations such as GPRC to provide a variety of learning experiences, both academic and opportunities for trades-related training, for our students.”
“This is just one example of how GPRC is working with educators and communities in the West Yellowhead region to develop creative and innovative ways for the College to deliver education in the community,” said GPRC President and CEO Don Gnatiuk. “It is partnerships such as this one that makes it possible for the College to increase its program offerings in the region to meet the community and industry need close to home for students.”
If the program runs successfully and demand continues, GPRC could offer the certificate again at Parkland.
“This new partnership is an excellent example of collaboration by GPRC and GYPSD that is resulting in increased learning opportunities for residents in the West Yellowhead region,” said Eric Rosendahl, MLA West Yellowhead. “It’s also exciting to see the support of the business community to make this possible for our high school and adult students and I thank them for their investment in education.”
Students interested in the Pre-Employment Welding Certificate can learn more about this learning opportunity by contacting:
- Ryan Hall, Assistant Principal, at 780-723-6035 at Parkland Composite High School;
- Sandy Axmann, GYPSD’s Supervisor – Learning Services at 780-723-4471; or
- Visit GPRC’s website or call 780-865-7666.
About GPRC
GPRC is a comprehensive community institution, publicly supported to provide opportunities in post-secondary education in northwestern Alberta. Established in 1966 in Grande Prairie, GPRC now includes campuses in Fairview and Grande Prairie, and learning centres in Edson, Grande Cache, Hinton and Jasper. GPRC offers a wide variety of career certificates and diplomas, pre-employment and apprenticeship trades, university transfer studies, and several opportunities for on-campus degree completion at baccalaureate and master levels through collaborations with four-year universities. For more information, visit gprc.ab.ca.
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About GYPSD
Grande Yellowhead Public School Division (GYPSD) stretches from Jasper National Park, east to Evansburg, and north to the Town of Grande Cache. The jurisdiction includes 17 schools, five Learning Connection Centres, approximately 4,500 students and 560 staff members. In alignment with the Ministerial Order On Student Learning (#001/2013), and in union with the community, our commitment is to provide every student an inclusive education with relevant, thought provoking and empowering life-based learning opportunities. We invite you to visit us at www.gypsd.ca to learn more about how we are proud to provide creative and innovative learning opportunities for all our students to succeed.
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For more information, please contact:
Mark Evans GPRC Corporate Communications Phone: 780-539-2951 |
Nikki Gilks GYPSD Manager, Communications Services Phone: 780-723-4471 www.gypsd.ca facebook.com/gypsd |