Ontario Prospects 2007

Young Worker Health and Safety

Often because of what they didn't know, young workers aged 15 to 24 accounted for approximately one in five of Ontario's lost-time and no-lost time claims between 2001 and 2005. During the same period, 52 traumatic fatalities occurred among young workers under 25.

Make sure your students know! Encourage them to learn about workplace health and safety issues in an interactive and creative way by participating in the annual Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) Student Video Contest. They might even win cash for themselves and their school.

The 2006 contest was a great success. Students across the province submitted 148 video entries, a substantial increase over the 100 received in 2005. Here are this year's winners:

1st place

($1,000 each for winning video team and school):

Bradley Allen, Sean Carson, Emily Chatham, Sonya Gilpin, and Tyler Jarvis, from Jean Vanier Catholic High School in Collingwood, for their video "Don't Throw It Away"

2nd place

($750 each for winning video team and school):

Jennifer Lagrandeur and Mathieu Majerus, from École secondaire Hanmer in Hanmer, for their video "Le travail sécuritaire, c'est pour la vie"

3rd place

($500 each for winning video team and school):

James Cadelli, from St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School in Russell, for his video "Alternative Seating"

The response to the contest demonstrates a growing awareness among Ontario's youth of the importance of workplace health and safety. But there's still more to do! Technological education and arts teachers can use the contest as a class project to meet curriculum objectives for health and safety. The contest also provides an opportunity for students to prepare a video to use in their postsecondary school application portfolios.

Winners of each year's contest are announced publicly and featured on the WSIB and Young Worker Awareness websites in the spring. Many past winners have also been featured in their local newspapers and recognized in their communities.

All Ontario high school students can participate. Representatives from the WSIB, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Labour judge the entries, using predetermined criteria. Cash prizes are awarded to first, second, and third place winners, and their respective schools receive matching cash amounts. There are also awards of merit for special achievements.

Visit www.youngworker.ca for contest information, rules, and an entry form.

Continuous Intake Co-op

What can be done about the dropout rate in Ontario schools? One of the Toronto Catholic District School Board's responses was to implement a Continuous Intake Cooperative Education (CIC) program in February 2006. The program assists students who need the opportunity to earn credits to complete their secondary school diplomas. It acknowledges that students have various learning styles and complicated lives that affect their ability to learn, and that students need caring adults to help them along the way.

During the four-month pilot project, 30 students went through the program and 27 students earned credits toward their secondary school diplomas. By the end of the pilot project, the case was strong for expanding the program, given its success rate, the numerous requests for admission, and the waiting list for the following year. In September 2006, staffing for the CIC program was expanded from two to four teachers.

The success of the program can be attributed to the holistic approach the CIC program team takes in working to bring out the best in the students. The key concern is always to support the students and to guide them to see themselves as valued members of the school system and the community. Building strong and compassionate community partnerships helps support student success and capitalize on students' passions during the program and beyond.

Unique features, such as these, help to make this program work:

• Students can be referred to the program at almost any point in the school year.
• Students have the opportunity to work in a paid co-op position if they require the opportunity for financial reasons.
• Students can earn one to four credits per semester.
• Students can use their current full-time or part-time job as a co-op placement, providing the job meets the requirements of the program.
• Students can do their pre-placement and integration curriculum outside the school setting, in an independent module format but always with teacher support.
• The program provides flexibility, flexibility, flexibility!

Students comment on the CIC program: "I feel more motivated and feel like I'm going to accomplish something." William C.

"My cooperative education experience has allowed me to mature as a student, not only within my placement but also in my attitude toward my regular school subjects." Amanda T.