Aboriginal youth participated in a unique camp recently, generating electricity by powering a model hydro-electric turbine with a super soaker water gun; harnessing the sun’s energy by building and racing a solar powered car; and having fun with BeetleBot, a little creature created by soldering complex circuits.
It was all part of a new Electricity Sector Council (ESC) Bright Futures Camp delivered in partnership with the Thunder Bay Aboriginal Head Start Program from August 17th to 21st. The electricity and energy-themed camp aims to expose youth to the many exciting career opportunities that exist in the industry.
“The goal is to develop a better understanding of the role electricity plays in day-to-day life, where it comes from, how it is generated, how it gets to where it is needed and how it’s used. There are a lot of career opportunities along that path, and the camp is designed to provide Aboriginal youth with the opportunity to discover their potential in this exciting industry. It is an excellent next step to the findings of our 2008 Powering Up The Future Study, which showed there will be a critical shortage of talent in our sector in the near future,” said Catherine Cottingham, ESC Executive Director and CEO.
ESC worked with Actua, a national charitable organization dedicated to providing young Canadians with positive, hands-on learning experiences in science, technology and engineering, to create the camp this year that was held in Thunder Bay. The camp was a pilot project, funded by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program with the support of Hydro One, Power Workers’ Union, Ontario Power Generation, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Ontario Power Authority, the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, and the Aboriginal Human Resources Council. Efforts are already underway to expand the camps across the country next year.
The Electricity Sector Council is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the Government of Canada’s Sector Council Program with support from participating sector communities of business, labour organizations, educators and stakeholder associations. The Council provides human resource and workplace development support to workers employed by the electricity, renewable energy industries and related cogeneration, energy efficiency, and manufacturing and service/consulting industries. Through its research and work with industry employers, the Council is resolving issues such as recruiting and retaining workers, facilitating school-to-work transitions and developing sector and career awareness strategies.