Hammers, heavy equipment and baking were part of the experience as Vancouver Island University showed off programs in an exhibition this weekend.
VIU’s Trades and Tech Showcase took place Saturday, April 6, at the Trades Discovery Centre on the Nanaimo campus, with 20 programs on display. Students and teaching staff held demonstrations and educated attendees about their courses.
Glynis Steen, dean of VIU’s faculty of trades and applied technology, said the intention was to give exposure to the different programs.
Based on the current labour market outlook, most of the trades at the showcase are very much in demand, she told the News Bulletin.
“Take our construction trades, our heavy-equipment operator program, carpentry, electrical, but we also have our technology programs here today that are definitely in-demand,” the dean said. “Our information technology and applied systems program is here as well as our office administration program.”
There are wait-lists, said Steen, and prospective students should definitely be thinking about applying if they want to join programs.
“We do have a number of trades at our various campuses, as well, so you could apply at our Cowichan campus, or our tiwšɛmawtxʷ campus which is in Powell River, where we offer carpentry and our automotive mechanic program,” she said. “The opportunity to apply across campuses would definitely be a good choice if you could do that.”
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