Michael Emery
The Skilled Trades Regional Networks is a collaborative project between the Ministry of Education, HIEC/ApprenticeSearch.com, and Skills Ontario. Together, these partners work with school boards and employers to expand experiential learning opportunities in the skilled trades and promote best practices, such as Trade Day Fridays.
Provided by Pasquale (Pat) Piro, Hamilton Co-op Teacher
Since 2019, Aaron Gorka, President of LuckyAce Business Solutions, and Pat Piro, a co-op teacher at Bishop Ryan Catholic Secondary School, have been working together to bring the skilled trades directly into Hamilton high schools. Through initiatives like Trade Day Fridays, students are gaining first-hand exposure to a wide range of rewarding career opportunities in the construction industry, most recently right at Bishop Ryan in Hamilton, Ontario.
Pat, a former Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) Coordinator with the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board, and Aaron, a former owner of Airon HVAC & Control, developed a framework for Trade Day Fridays that brings trades companies and journeypersons into tech classes on designated Fridays. These sessions offer hands-on activities and opportunities for students to ask questions and learn directly from presenters and coordinators who work in the field.
The sessions include presentations in Construction, HVAC, Mechanical/Heavy Plumbing, Sheet Metal, Heavy Electrical, and General Contracting. A dedicated group of companies—including Airon/BGIS Group, Besseling Mechanical, Lancaster Group, Landon Mechanical, Fairway Electrical Services, and Ira McDonald Construction—participates regularly.
Trade Day Fridays are an effective way of raising awareness of skilled trades careers. As a result, students are encouraged to take the next step by enrolling in cooperative education courses at Bishop Ryan CSS. Cooperative Education offers students authentic work experiences while completing their OSSD credits, creating a clear pathway to apprenticeship opportunities.
It was evident that the experienced professionals and journeypersons thoroughly enjoyed presenting and demonstrating to eager high school students, leading to meaningful conversations and pathway mentoring. Students were highly engaged in the workshops and successfully completed the hands-on practical activities.
Student remarks included:
- “This was fun, I really want to do this!”
- “I want to go into the trades!”
- “I’m going to take co-op and want to do HVAC, plumbing, or electrical!”
“Cooperative education is an amazing course that provides students with an authentic learning experience,” said Pat. “The trade days have significantly increased course enrollment. Experiential learning has been a passion of mine for years because it works. I enjoy seeing our students get excited about these careers and watching them grow because of the opportunities they receive.”
