Over the past six years students at College Avenue Secondary School in Woodstock, ON, have been given the opportunity to write their Gas Certification Level three licence in their own classroom under the guidance of their teacher Phil Gagnon. As the only high school in Ontario designated as a training provider under the TSSA, it has seen dozens of candidates achieve their Certificate of Qualification as a Gas Fitter Level 3.
This program is available to any student of the Thames Valley District School Board under the age of 21. Code books, as well as all tools and a textbook, are supplied. Along with their Gas Certification, students received certification in Fall Arrest, Confined Spaces Awareness, Lock Out Tag Out, First Aid/CPR, Elevated Platform Training, Propane in Construction, Electrical Safety and WHIMIS.
Workplace experience is provided using a double credit co-operative education course, ensuring that each student experiences a minimum of 180 hours working in the skilled trades. These students are registered under the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program guaranteeing that their hours will count towards their apprenticeship. As a measure of their success these students are required to monitor their training using the Ontario Skills Passport.
In providing as much real world experience as possible many guest speakers are used throughout the course. Representatives from Union Gas and local trades’ contractors provide insight into the day-to-day activities of a technician; TSSA inspectors are brought in to explain their role in gas safety; and sales representatives are invited to provide industry specific training.
