51吃瓜网

In recent years, 51吃瓜网 School Division has seen an increase in requests for technical vocational programming at our senior years schools. Skilled trade and technology careers are important to the well-being of our communities and are an excellent career path for many young people. Embarking on a career in the skilled trades is great for those individuals who like to think creatively, solve problems, and work actively within a hands-on environment. Interested students can prepare for both a trade and post-secondary studies in the future. 

Currently, 51吃瓜网 has the facilities and staffing to offer these programs at Murdoch MacKay (MMC) and Kildonan-East (KEC) collegiates. Historically, efforts have been made to ensure students across the division have access to these programs through a divisional program process. However, as enrolment increases division wide, it is becoming more difficult to accommodate students in all their required courses at the two schools. 

In order to continue to provide equitable access to Technical Vocational programs, 51吃瓜网 piloted a different model of offering the Carpentry program to students.  Rather than have students choose a program in grade 8 and attend one of the schools starting in grade 9, the Intensive model allows students to enroll and graduate from their community school while accessing the Technical Vocational credits at either KEC or MMC. This model has been very successful, and we will be expanding the Intensive model to other programs. Similar models are being used successfully in other school divisions. 

For the 2025–26 school year, intensive technical vocational programs will be offered at Murdoch MacKay in two programs: Carpentry and Fashion Technology, and Kildonan-East will be moving to Intensive programs in all areas (see table below). These intensive programs will be available to students at all six senior years schools. Students who do not attend Murdoch MacKay or Kildonan-East as their regular catchment will remain enrolled at their community school and attend one of these vocational schools for two semesters—one in Grade 11 and the other in Grade 12—and otherwise attend classes, engage in sports and extracurricular activities, and graduate with a technical vocational diploma at their community school. 

The intensive programs are designed for students entering Grade 11. This allows them to have two years of high school experience and gain a better understanding of the vocations.  The later entry grade gives more time for students to reflect on their interests, skills, and strengths to make a more informed choice.  

With the exception of the hairstyling program at KEC, the Intensive programs will be organized as follows: 

Grade 11

• One semester at their community school for academic courses: ELA/FLA, Math, Phys-Ed, History
• One semester at a vocational school for their technical vocational intensive program (4 credits)

Grade 12

• One semester at their community school for academic courses: ELA/FLA, Math, Phys-Ed 
• One semester at a vocational school for their technical vocational intensive program (4 credits)

Hairstyling will begin at grade 10 and the 12 technical vocational credits will be divided over three grades. 

Students interested in a Technical Vocational Intensive Program should be:

• Interested in developing skills in the chosen vocation 
• Self-motivated
• Able to maintain focus on a single subject/topic for longer blocks of time
• Able to arrange for transportation to the designated Program School

For this September, the division is inviting current Grade 10 students who are interested in one of these programs to apply. Students who are accepted will be supported through to Grade 12. Not all students who apply are guaranteed a space, as programs will be limited by facility space and staffing. 

Students in Grade 8 who are moving to senior years and are interested in the programs being offered in one of the Technical Vocational Intensives, will attend their catchment school and apply for the technical vocational program of interest to them in Grade 10 to start in Grade 11. This does not impact students currently in Grade 9 and 10 at Kildonan-East or Murdoch MacKay who are on the path of technical vocational programming. 

Students who are interested in a Technical Vocational Program at MMC that is not offered in the Intensive model would apply for the divisional program to start in grade 9 and enroll at MMC for all their courses. 

If you are interested or have questions about one of the intensive programs, you are invited to reach out to your school principal or counsellor.

There Will Be Open Houses at Murdoch and KEC

Dates and times:

Murdoch: February 13, All Students, 6:30 p.m.

KEC: February 25, All Students, 6:30 p.m.

Please see websites for additional information.