Elisabeth Heslop
Students at Fort Frances High School had a chance to discuss their co-op placements with the general public last Wednesday.
Many of the students spoke of how grateful they were for the opportunity to experience the work world before graduating.
“It gives you a realistic look at the field of work you want to go into,” said Kim LaFleur, a Grade 11 student who has been working with the Fort Frances branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association.
LaFleur has decided that social work is the field she wants to enter.
“I like the aspect of helping people,” she said. “I’ve also become interested in mental health since starting here.”
Joshua Stevens, a Grade 12 student, has a placement at Northland Basics here, where he works alongside the computer technicians watching and learning.
“They have taught me that you always have to be able to learn stuff,” he said.
He added he thinks it is “an excellent thing that businesses around town open up to high schools students to learn.”
Jim Hudson, manager of Northland Basics, said his company has participated in the co-op program for at least 10 years now.
“It’s great,” he remarked. “It’s an extra set of hands and we get to help them learn.”
Nancy Gillon, one of the teachers with the co-op program, said many of the students end up wanting to pursue the same careers as their co-ops. But even for those who don’t, it is a good experience.
“It is a good thing because it saves them the time and money of pursuing a career they ultimately wouldn’t like,” she reasoned.
While a co-op placement may not lead to a career choice for all students, ultimately it is, as Stevens said, a “learning experience.”
