Students showcase what they learned in 17-week energy co-op

In February, 25 high school students at Kincardine District Senior School (KDSS) began their clean energy journeys.

And Friday morning (June 14), at the UBC Local 2222 facility in Kincardine, they showcased all they’ve learned and experienced throughout the pilot Nuclear Innovative Institute (NII) Explore energy co-op.

This unique co-op is a specialized 17-week education program in partnership with KDSS and the Bluewater District School Board. Different than a normal co-op, where one student is placed with one employer, this pilot exposed students to nearly 30 different careers across the clean energy industry – construction, welding, emergency management, robotics, scaffolding, and so much more.

“With the clean energy sector’s jobs growing faster than the national average over the next decade, the skills these students have explored during the program are in demand for companies throughout our region,” said NII Explore president Phillip Craig. “The co-op is truly a home-grown solution to changing labour force needs.”

As a result of this program, the co-op students are now in demand as well! Students have gained internships and summer jobs with companies they worked with during the co-op — not to mention the overall experiences, hands-on learning, and networking opportunities they gained throughout the past four months.

“We are thrilled to have been able to offer this fantastic career pathway opportunity to our first group of students enrolled in the new Energy Specialist High Skills Major program, recently added at KDSS,” said Keith Lefebvre, superintendent of education at the Bluewater District School Board.

“Students have expressed their excitement about learning of the many opportunities in the energy field. Our thanks to our partners at NII Explore, UBC Local 2222, and all the local employers whose generous commitment to this initiative has helped pave the way for a broad range of rewarding jobs and careers for our students in the energy and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.”

NII Explore plans to continue the work this pilot program began. Next year, the co-op will double in size, running in both the fall and winter terms at the NII Advance Technology Campus, located in the Bruce Energy Centre, across from the Bruce Power Visitors’ Centre.

But none of this would be possible without support, said Craig.

“We are grateful to all those who committed their time and expertise to the co-op — partners across the energy sector, our local communities, the school board, and the NII’s founding members,” he said. “This program is the culmination of what makes the nuclear industry so strong in this region: companies making local investments, supporting strong STEM education for local students, all for the purpose of creating clean electricity to power our province for generations to come.”