Petitcodiac school gets 'surprise' $1.1M to add space for trades training

Principal Ewen Cameron knew Petitcodiac Regional School was getting $100,000 from the provincial government.

The $1 million announced on top of that for a new trades shop was a complete surprise.

Cameron learned of the additional money when Premier Brian Gallant spoke Wednesday at the school for kindergarten to Grade 12 students.

Gallant announced $1.1 million to build an addition for an automotive and metal trades shop.

Of that, $100,000 — the portion Cameron knew about — will go toward planning and designing the project. The remaining $1 million will be used for construction, the government said in a release.

An economic argument

Part of this year's capital budget, the spending corresponds with the Gallant government's 10-year education plan for the anglophone sector, Gallant said.

"Your government understands that in order to strengthen our economy we need to improve student access and exposure to trades," Gallant said in a statement.

With a scheduled completion date roughly two years from now, the project will give Petitcodiac Regional students access to automotive and metal trades courses for the first time in more than two decades.

Similar shops were removed from the school in 1998, when then-premier Frank McKenna's government built computer labs in schools, Cameron said.

"Some schools lost their trade facilities at the time and we were one of them," said Cameron, who is principal of Grades 6 to 12.

Since then, parents and community members have been asking the province to bring back the shops.

Not much trades training

"We're a rural community," Cameron said. "There's a strong agricultural base."

Currently, the school offers minimal trades training, including some woodworking programs, which Cameron said are in high demand.

The new project, will address the needs of "hands-on learners."

Camerson said it's too early to say which grades will have access to the shops or which programs the school will offer in them.

But once complete, the project will allow students to pursue independent studies, as well as partnerships with businesses and community colleges.

"This is wonderful news for our community," Cameron said. "We're a small rural community and this is great news for Petitcodiac and the area, and I'm sure that all the children, students will take full advantage of this for years to come."

CBC News tried to get details about the project from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.