- “Skills Work!®” Summer Camps
- Camp Dates and Locations
- Testimonials
- Register Now
- Parent/Camper Forms
- Volunteer
- FAQ
| “Skills Work!®” Summer Camps |
Exploring Careers in Skilled Trades and Technologies One Hands-on Activity at a Time The “Skills Work!®” Camp is a week-long summer day camp that provides students going into grades 7 and 8 with an opportunity to explore careers in skilled trades and technologies. Located in several communities across the province, the camp runs in partnership with colleges, volunteers, and organizations that are committed to giving the participants a hands-on experience. Throughout the week, campers develop communication, problem solving and teamwork skills through various activities, workshops and industry tours. As they build, fix, design and create, campers learn about careers in transportation, construction, manufacturing, communication, and services. The “Skills Work!®” Camp runs throughout July and August from Monday to Friday, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm. Cost of camps vary slightly based on location from $150 to $175 per week per participant. Please see registration page for details. For more information please contact Karen Throupe at 807-684-8853 or by email at karent@skillscanada.com. We hope your child will consider joining us for this hands-on experience!
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| Camp Dates and Locations |
“Skills Work!®” Camps will take place throughout the months of July and August in a variety of locations across the province. The 2010 camp season is currently in the planning phases. Once camp dates and locations have been secured, registration will be made available at “Register Now”. Please note that camp dates and locations may be subject to change. For updates on confirmed camps please keep visiting this web page.
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| Testimonials |
What are campers saying about the “Skills Work!®” Camp? It was awesome! Now I know how to cook and build stuff out of certain materials. I will apply what I learned in this camp to real life by working hard and always being positive. It is the best camp I’ve ever been to! It is a great experience finding out what job you might want. It teaches you so much. It’s a great camp. It is fun and everything is hands-on work. We did tons of different things! What are parents saying about the “Skills Work!®” Camp? “My son was thrilled with the camp because every day was different…whether they were cooking something or pounding nails. This is such a good program. Keep up the great work!” My son wasn’t sure if he wanted to get into a trade. This camp has helped him and has also addressed what courses he needs to take in high school. I think this camp gave my daughter more self confidence. The camp provided my daughter with the opportunity to accomplish traditionally non-female tasks – it built her confidence and enthusiasm to do more. The “Skills Work!” Camp had a positive influence, and has given my child great exposure to real world experiences. My son loved it! The best thing about the camp is it gives the kids a bit of knowledge on different trades so they can decide if it is something they would like to go further with. My daughter was excited to go to this camp. After attending she has given positive feedback about her experience. This has her thinking about tech careers now. It got us talking to our son about what he liked and didn’t like about certain careers – his strengths and weaknesses. Interesting projects, fun and enjoyable for my child. My son met new friends and the camp increased his confidence in working with his hands. |
| Register Now |
Registration for Summer Camp 2010 is now open. To register for a summer camp, please click here. |
| Parent/Camper Forms |
To access the following printable parent/camper forms, please click on the headings below: Camper Code of Conduct Camper Release Permission Form Feedback Form |
| Volunteer |
The “Skills Work!®” Camp workshops and tours are hosted by volunteer industry professionals. If you are qualified in an area of the skilled trades or technologies and would like to offer your support of this program by leading a workshop or tour of your business, please contact Karen Throupe, Manager of Programs, at 807-684-8853 or by email at karent@skillscanada.com. The goal of a workshop or tour is to introduce and educate campers about a particular skilled trade or technology through hands-on activities that explore processes and techniques. Ideally, the workshops are a minimum of 2 - 3 hours in length (or a maximum of 5 hours). For further details and examples of successful workshops that have been hosted at past camps, please review the workshop leader guides below.
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| FAQ |
Click on any of the questions below to reveal the answer. Click on the question a second time if you wish to hide the answer. General Questions
These camps include a variety of hands-on activities, which emphasize the value of employability skills and introduce participants to careers in the skilled trades and technologies. Many of the activities focus on soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and problem solving. Students participate in approximately four half-day workshops hosted by local professionals which generally highlight the following sectors: Transportation, Construction, Manufacturing, Communication and Service. Local industry tours are also arranged to create a link from the information students learn throughout the camp week to the world of work. The camp participants have opportunities to see first hand the skilled trade sector careers that are available within their own community as well as a glimpse of an average work day within various skilled trade sectors. So that they can have a greater awareness of the options available and the skills that are necessary to succeed both throughout high school and in the changing world of work beyond. Young people are making career choices at earlier ages. In fact, research from the Guelph, Wellington, Dufferin Career Education Council indicates that the average person changes their career 5 or 6 times throughout their working lives. There are so many options available! Choosing the career field that best fits can be a challenge. These camps were designed to help provide career information about employability skills needed for any position... we place emphasis on employability skills in the skilled trades and technologies. These career options are highly dynamic and often people in these fields do work that benefits our everyday lives. Their roles help us to live happy and productive lives. There will generally be a minimum of 8 campers and a maximum of 16 campers at each camp. To answer this question, we have provided a sample agenda here. This agenda is a sample only and is intended to provide a clearer idea of the structure of the camp. The scheduling of activities, workshops and tours will vary per community based on available facilities and volunteers. Activities are always subject to change without notice prior to the camp; a finalized detailed schedule will be distributed to parents and campers on the first day of camp. During the week of camp, participants will be involved in a number of activities that emphasize the development of employability skills, the work habits that youth will need to be successful in the world of work and other daily activities. Skills such as problem solving, teamwork and communication are a focus at the camp because they are essential to all careers and are easily incorporated into fun, open-ended activities where the students can learn without even realizing it. Following each activity, instructors discuss with the campers what they have learned, and why these skills are sought by employers. Some of the camp activities that emphasize skills such as problem solving, teamwork and communication may include: Towering News – It’s a bidding war to see which team can win the best materials at an auction to design the highest free standing tower. Tin Foil Boats – Design your own mini-Titanic. Test its strength using the marble weight challenge. Geodesic Domes – Work as a team to build a life-size free standing dome made entirely out of newspaper. Egg Drop! – Design a secure nest out of limited materials. Put your nest to the test and don’t let that egg break! During the week of camp, participants will have the opportunity to express their creativity by building or creating projects that relate to various aspects of skilled trade or technology careers. These are classroom based activities that will be led by the camp facilitators. These activities may include: Film Canister Flashlights – Campers learn electrical wiring techniques as they build their own LED flashlight out of a film canister. Gliders – This is one of the most popular activities at camp! Campers thoroughly enjoy fabricating these projects made of Styrofoam and wood. Through investigation, students learn the impact that slight design changes make to flight performance. SAE Gear Cars – This professional educational kit focuses on model building and the effectiveness of understanding gear rations. It is rewarding for campers to achieve their final working design. This will really depend on the resources that are available in each community where the camp is offered. Skills Canada-Ontario works with a variety of volunteer workshop leaders at the college or host location and the workshops are coordinated based on their availability and area of expertise. The length of each workshop will also vary per community depending on the activity that the campers will be doing. Each workshop will give the campers a hands-on exploration of one or more of the following skilled trades/technology sectors: Transportation, Construction, Manufacturing, Communication and Service. Although workshops will vary from year-to-year and from community-to-community, past examples can be found here. Local industry tours are arranged to create a link from the information students learn throughout the camp week to the world of work. These are generally set up at off-site locations and transportation will be coordinated to take the students to and from each tour. At the tours, the camp participants have opportunities to see first hand the skilled trade sector careers that are available within their own community as well as a glimpse of an average work day within various skilled trade sectors. Although tours will vary from year-to-year and from community-to-community, examples of past tours can be found here. This camp is a day-program that runs from Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. daily. Camp facilitators will be on site from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. daily. Campers can be dropped off or picked up within these hours only. Additional supervision of participants is not available outside of these times and charges will apply for late pickups. Campers are required to bring their own lunch, snacks and drinks each day, unless otherwise notified. Due to food allergies, campers are advised to avoid bringing any nut-related products. Safety
Attendance & the Sign-in / Sign-out Policy: Each day upon arrival at the camp, parents will be asked to sign their child into the attendance list; similarly, they will be asked to sign out at the end of the day. This process is to ensure the safe arrival and departure of our campers. Parents that would prefer to give their child permission to come and go on their own each day can sign and submit the camper release permission form. We ask that parents please notify us by phone as soon as possible if their child will be absent for the day (or part of it). To ensure that the group stays together, our camp facilitators will take attendance throughout the day as we move from activity to activity. Workshop and Tour Safety: Large equipment, machinery or tools may be present in the workshop and tour environments. Safety will be stressed at all times. As an additional safety precaution, participants are asked to refrain from wearing open-toed shoes and loose clothing during the duration of the camp. Long hair is to be pulled back into a ponytail. Failing to comply with these requests could affect a camper’s ability to participate in some activities. Running shoes are suggested for most activities. Any special safety equipment that is required, such as steel toe caps or safety glasses, will be provided at the camp. Camper Code of Conduct: There is a camper Code of Conduct in place for all participants that stresses the importance of a respectful and safe environment. Camp facilitators will work to ensure that these guidelines are followed at all times. Each camp will have two camp facilitators that will supervise the campers at all times. On the first day of camp, parents’ will receive a detailed camp schedule which will include a cell phone number for our camp facilitators. Messages can also be relayed through the Summer Camp Coordinator at (807) 684-8853. Registration
Registration can be completed online at “Register Now”. All registrations must be accompanied by a signed waiver form which you will receive while registering online. Registrations are received on a first-come, first-serve basis. If a camp has reached full registration a waiting list will be created. In the event of any cancellations, campers on the wait list will be contacted. To add your son or daughter to the wait list please submit your request to the Summer Camp Coordinator at karent@skillscanada.com. Immediately after submitting your online registration form you will receive an electronic confirmation. Within the two weeks before the camp you will receive an information package that outlines the details of the upcoming camp. Fees
Credit Card Payments: Cheques: If you need to cancel your child’s registration at camp, please notify us as soon as possible. Cancellations for a “Skills Work!®” Camp may be requested by sending notice to our Registrar at maresam@skillscanada.com. Cancellations received up to two weeks prior to the start of camp will be subject to a $35 administration fee, while cancellations requested within two weeks or less are non-refundable. If your child cannot attend camp for medical reasons, please contact our office at 1-888-228-5446 ext. 228. A credit note will be issued upon receipt of a doctor’s note. No other exceptions will be made. Please note that camp registrations are non-transferable. Skills Canada-Ontario reserves the right to cancel a summer camp program location and will provide registered campers with a minimum of one week’s prior notice and a full refund. Contact
If you have further questions about a “Skills Work!®” Camp, please contact Karen Throupe, Summer Camp Coordinator, by telephone at (807) 684-8853 or by email at karent@skillscanada.com.
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