On June 20, the Saskatchewan Trades and Apprenticeship Certification Commission (SATCC) released the names of the year's Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship (SYA) Industry Award winners. As has been the case in past years, students in the Horizon School Division have been among the 100 students in the province to receive the awards.

An initiative of the SATCC to support high school students intending to enter the trades, Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship has been a part of schools in the province for over a decade. From one or two schools in the Humboldt region, the passport based program is now active in many area schools. Horizon School Division Career Counsellor Brent Loehr describes the program and its development. 

"There are a number of benefits for students in the SYA program. For one, they get a waiver of their registration fee, which sits at about $200, when they indenture to a trade. There is no charge for their level 1 technical training, and they receive 300 hours of credit toward the various trades. The program is in many of our schools in the area, and it's growing as the interest and knowledge of it expand."

SATCC reports that at the end of 2017-2018, more than 2,500 students in the province had registered in the program and that currently, there are more than 3,300 enrolled which represents a thirty percent increase.

When students participate in the SYA program, they embark on a number of learning challenges. Chelsea Coupal with the SATCC describes the nature of those challenges, "Students complete a variety of activities and this can include everything from attending a career fair to interviewing a journeyperson to taking practical and applied arts courses and completing at least one day of on the job work experience."

The final benefit is that students become eligible to receive one of the SYA Industry Scholarships. The scholarships are redeemable for $1000 dollars. However, Coupal explains the unique nature of the awards, "The scholarships are not automatically issued. Students need to demonstrate they are actively pursuing a career in the skilled trades in order to redeem them." Students demonstrate that intent by either registering as an apprentice and completing their level 1 training or completing pre-employment training at a recognized institution.

Through the SATCC's release,  Immigration and Career Training Minister Jeremy Harrison said,  “We wish the students who have received SYA Industry Scholarships success in their future careers, and look forward to them becoming Saskatchewan’s business leaders of tomorrow.”

With the continuing demand for qualified tradespeople, the SYA provides the background, and the Industry Scholarships provide the incentive for youth to enter the trades. 

Area winners of SYA Industry Scholarships for 2019 include:

  • Coltin Hogemann - Annaheim School
  • Theodore Weiman - Bruno Central School
  • Quinten Dierker - Cudworth Schoo
  • Riley Lefebvre - Humboldt Collegiate Institute
  • Ryley Amendt - Humboldt Collegiate Institute
  • Brodie Morrow - Kelvington High School
  • Drayton Kiefer - Muenster School
  • Kevin Huiting - Watson School