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Pilot program enhances manufacturing training at Barton Secondary |
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 by Jerry Cook
A new Ontario government Ministry of Education pilot program recently introduced at Barton Secondary School, Hamilton, ON has made the school’s Manufacturing Specialist program, already one of the leading manufacturing training programs in the province, even better.
The Specialist High Skills Major in Manufacturing (SHSM) program was
introduced by Ontario’s Ministry of Education in September, 2006 in
order to meet the growing training needs of the province’s
manufacturing sector, says Mark Jones, head of technology with Barton
Secondary School.
“What the government and the secondary school system is trying to do is
give the students more training than what is normally (available) in a
high school,” says Jones. “When you look at normal courses you don’t
have this extra training.”
SHSM is a specialized program which allows students to focus on
knowledge and skills that are of particular importance in certain
economic sectors, and to obtain certifications recognized in those
sectors, as they work towards meeting the requirements for an Ontario
Secondary School Diploma. In the 2006-2007 school year, 27 Ontario
schools were given approval by the ministry to launch SHSMs related to
five different economic sectors including manufacturing, construction,
hospitality and tourism, arts and culture, and primary industries
(agriculture, mining, forestry, and landscaping). Today, approximately
200 Ontario school boards offer SHSM programs (not all offer
manufacturing) with the program expected to be expanded to more schools
in the future.
At present, Barton has 73 students enrolled in its Manufacturing
Specialist program including 25 students who are also participating in
the SHSM component of the overall program (including 10 Grade 12
students and 15 Grade 11 students). According to Jones, Barton’s
Manufacturing Specialist program includes a wide range of subjects
including welding, machining, sheetmetal, drafting, blueprint reading,
electrical, pneumatics, and hydraulics.
A required component of the SHSM program is the contextualized learning
activities that are directly related to the manufacturing program, says
Jones. For example, academic courses such as math, science, and english
have modules related to the manufacturing course. This allows students
the opportunity to see how the academic courses are related to the
technical program. “We didn’t have CPR, WHMIS, or Fall Protection as
part of the program (prior to launching SHSM) so it actually opens up
more doors for the students because they have more training. Under the
Ontario Ministry of Education guidelines there are nine subjects out of
which we select three as electives that the students have to take. For
example, CPR, first aid, and WHMIS are all mandatory under the program.
At Barton, the three electives we chose are Propane, Fall Protection
and Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) certification. The CWB is an optional
subject but we chose (to include) it because I believe that if they
have CWB certification it will help them get a job a lot easier than if
they just have training,” points out Jones.
Barton Secondary School has established strong relationships with both
the Canadian Welding Association (CWA) and the Canadian Welding Bureau
(CWB). In fact, Barton is a CWB accredited welding test facility with
approximately 28 students obtaining 50 CWB certifications so far at the
school.
“About three years ago I had an articulation agreement with Mohawk
College allowing Barton’s students to obtain CWB certification at the
college and also established contact with the CWA. I had gone to one of
their meetings and stayed in contact ever since. The CWA has expanded
(their activities) in the Hamilton region in recent years and they have
taken on high school welding (to support) and they have been a
tremendous help to us. The help they have given us has been
unbelievable. We have a very close relationship with them as we do with
industry in general,” he states.
Continues Jones, “The CWA has recently conducted two major funding
drives. We were part of the first funding drive which raised over
$120,000. For example, within the drive a company could have donated a
new MIG welder or plasma cutter or various consumables. The support
from the CWA and private sector companies has been phenomenal.”
In addition to the partnerships and support provided by the CWA and
CWB, Barton’s welding program also has partnerships or received support
from a variety of different organizations and companies including
Mohawk College, Lancaster, Dofasco, Tregaskiss, Lincoln Electric,
Miller, and Panasonic.
The level of support enjoyed by Barton’s welding program is evident
from its extensive array of welding equipment including two Lincoln
Electric PowerMig 255C units, Acklands Ak-Matic 1250 MIG machine,
Panasonic Gunslinger 261 MIG/SMAW combination machine (donated through
CWA), a Miller SCP 200 MIG machine and R115 feeder, two Idealarc 250
SMAW units, two Miller 250 welders, a Hobart Stickmate LX, one Miller
Syncrowave 180 SD and one Miller 200 SD, one Hypertherm 600 plasma
system (donated through the CWA) and one Hypertherm 1250 plasma system
loaned to the school from Hypertherm through the CWA. The most recent
piece of equipment purchased for Barton’s welding program is a Koike
K1200J plasma/oxy-fuel cutting machine. This was made possible because
of donations from Sector Industries and the CWA.
Barton’s strategy of establishing partnerships and close relationships
with industry is obviously working. The school’s Manufacturing
Specialist program has been recognized in recent years with the
Profiling Excellence Award from the Hamilton-Wentworth District School
Board and Hamilton Spectator Publisher’s Award for Educators from the
Industry Educational Council.
“Without the support from the CWA and the other organizations and
private sector firms we wouldn’t be able to offer the program that we
are offering today,” says Jones.
hwdsb.on.ca/barton/
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