A new course will be offered to Grade 10 students in the area.

In the 2018-19 school year, Introduction to Construction Technology (ICT) will be offered to Grade 10 students at Morden Collegiate, Northlands Parkway Collegiate, Garden Valley Collegiate and W.C. Miller Collegiate.

ICT is a single semester course introducing basic carpentry and piping skills used in many industries.

Red River Technical Vocational Area (RRTVA) Director, Brenda Giesbrecht, said this course is perfect for 'sampling' both carpentry and piping trades.

She noted Introduction to Trades and Technology has been very successful in the past, but many grade 10 students aren't sure yet what trade they are most interested in.

"A lot of the skills are transferable to either trade that they will be learning," Giesbrecht explained. "They can pick what's a great fit for them."

Students will be introduced to common practices such as working with tools and equipment, reading blueprints, learning trade based projects, and work safety.

"It's offered in one semester, and it's solely for grade 10 students, and they will spend half their time at Morden Collegiate in the Piping Trades program and half of their time in the Carpentry Program at W.C. Miller Collegiate," she added.

In Grade 11, students can go directly into their chosen trade. Giesbrecht noted this grade 10 course isn't mandatory for entering either course once in Grade 11.

In the ICT course, the student spends half of the time in each of the two shops and will spend about ten weeks studying the introductory skills of the two trades.

The semester includes four courses. Exploration of Plumbing & Piping Trades and Exploration of Technical Vocational Education take place in Morden, while Intro to Carpentry and Construction Technology takes place in Altona.