Six area students were part of 100 high school graduates from 79 communities across the province to receive a Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship (SYA) Industry Scholarship.
The scholarship program, launched in 2009, is overseen by the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission (SATCC), and scholarships are presented to SYA program participants who plan to pursue careers in the skilled trades.
Those six area youth include:
• Chase Davies (Dalmeny High School), who earned the Industry Scholarship and he plans to pursue a career as an auto body and collision technician;
• Brayden Brown (Langham’s Walter W. Brown School), who earned the Saskatchewan Construction Association Scholarship and his trade of interest is in cabinet-making/tile-setting;
• Brooklynn Zaleschuk (Martensville High School), who earned the Saskatchewan Construction Association Scholarship and she plans to pursue a carrer as a heavy duty equipment technician/ truck and transport mechanic;
• Andrew Derksen (Derksen Home School, Rosthern), who earned the Merit Contractors Association Apprenticeship Scholarship and his trade of interest is in carpentry;
• Scott Reddekopp (Hague High School), who received the CLR Sasktchewan Scholarship and plans to purse a career as an agricultural equipment technician;
• Taylor Baht (Warman High School), who recieved the Mosaic Company Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship Scholarship and his trade of interest is in welding.
The SYA program has helped students, like Martensville High’s Brooklynn Zaleschuk, figure out what they want to do as a career in the trade industry.
“Through the Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship program, I have gained first-hand experience in a variety of trades,” Zaleschuk said. “This program has helped narrow my career path to wanting to pursue heavy duty mechanics after I graduate high school.
I am extremely grateful to have received a 2021 SYA Industry Scholarship as this will allow me to focus on my goal of obtaining journeyperson certification. As a female in the trades, I look forward to being a role model to other females who are interested in pursuing a career in the trades.”
SYA Industry Scholarships are unique, as students redeem them for $1,000 within two years of graduation by actively embarking on a career in the skilled trades, either by registering as an apprentice and completing Level 1 technical training or by completing a pre-employment course in a trade designated in Saskatchewan.
Fifty-nine industry sponsors have invested nearly $750,000 into the scholarship fund. The Government of Saskatchewan has also invested through the Saskatchewan Innovation and Opportunities Scholarship, bringing total contributions to $1.2 million.
“On behalf of the Government of Saskatchewan, congratulations to the 2020-21 scholarship recipients; we’re sending best wishes as you wrap up this chapter and begin your careers as skilled tradespeople,” Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said. “Skilled tradespeople will play an important role in our province’s economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. We’re proud you’ll be part of that.”
The SYA program, which includes 12 activities, enhances students’ understanding of apprenticeship and the skilled trades. Among other activities, students complete Practical and Applied Arts courses; interview a journeyperson; research and write a report on a designated trade; and complete the Young Worker Readiness certificate.
Students who complete SYA and register as apprentices in Saskatchewan within five years of graduation receive valuable benefits – their apprenticeship registration fee and Level 1 technical training tuition are waived, and they’re awarded 300 trade time hours.
There are more than 300 schools and nearly 4,500 students currently registered in the SYA program.