NORTHERN SASKATCHEWAN STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT BUILDING TRADES

Social Services Minister Donna Harpauer joined several La Loche high school students today to celebrate the completion of a project that will help to meet affordable housing needs in their community.

As part of their school curriculum, the students constructed a house to industry standards, gaining valuable experience in the building trades and providing a family with a new home.

"This is a wonderful approach to meet a housing need in this community and to encourage youth to consider the building trades as a career choice," Harpauer said. "This initiative, and others like it, shows what can be accomplished through team work. Our government commends these students for their role in building a safe, secure future for a family in need through affordable housing."

"This construction partnership has created a very meaningful educational experience outside of the traditional classroom," La Loche Mayor Georgina Jolibois said. "It has allowed the students involved to build a meaningful skill set which can be used in their post-secondary education and in various parts of their own lives. We are pleased with this partnership and hope to include other government agencies and industries within the area."

Nine students at La Loche Community School built the home from start to finish while developing building trade skills such as work safety and construction techniques through teamwork. The new home will be rented to a low-income family through the La Loche Non-Profit Housing Corporation.

Saskatchewan Housing Corporation worked with the Northern Lights School Division to select two schools in its division for construction projects. La Loche Community School in La Loche elected to build a home while Hector Thiboutot School in Sandy Bay chose to construct 10 sheds, which are near completion. Saskatchewan Housing Corporation acted as the project co-ordinator for both initiatives, supplying construction materials and trade contractors as needed and conducting standard site inspections at the end of each construction phase.

"I am pleased to announce that the Government of Saskatchewan will support an additional house construction project through the La Loche Community School in 2008, to further encourage students who may be interested in a career in the building trades and to provide another family with affordable housing," Harpauer said.

The program is based on similar successful high school trade training initiatives in Regina and Saskatoon. In these programs, participating Grade 11 and 12 students built homes for low-income families. The students learned how to build a home and obtained credits in their school curriculums as part of the program.

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For more information, contact:

Linda Saliken
Social Services
Regina
Phone: 306-787-0246
Email: lsaliken@cr.gov.sk.ca