School board expands trades training, considers cell phone ban

School board expands trades training, considers cell phone ban

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

The Eastern Townships School Board (ETSB) Council of Commissioners met on May 27 in a wide-ranging session chaired by Michael Murray, where commissioners approved new vocational programs, infrastructure upgrades, and discussed a possible response to Quebec’s proposed school cell phone ban.

The meeting opened with several recognitions, including a Quebec English School Board Association (QESBA) award for Brome-Missisquoi Campus and a bronze medal performance by ETSB student Anthony Minotti in industrial mechanics at the provincial Olympiades québécoises. Field trips and student showcases were also celebrated, with Chair Murray highlighting Massey-Vanier’s sold-out Kaleidoscope performances as “fantastic.”

New trucking and tinsmithing programs approved

Among the most substantial items of business was the approval of two new vocational programs. The ETSB will officially seek authorization from Quebec’s Ministry of Education to offer “Trucking 5791” and “Tinsmithing 5860” at its vocational training centres. The trucking program, long delivered through a partner board in the Laurentians, will now be formally hosted by ETSB.

“We’re finally reaching a point where we want to have the card, as they call it—official recognition that we’re delivering this training,” said Murray. He emphasized the importance of English-language vocational options, particularly given new U.S. regulations requiring commercial drivers to demonstrate English proficiency.

Vocational promotions and welding program receive major funding

The Council also moved to award a $99,000 contract to Beauvoir to produce vocational training promotion videos, part of a $106,000 initiative funded by Quebec and coordinated across all English school boards. “We got a hundred thousand dollars,” noted Director General Kandy Mackey. “It’s for all English school boards in Canada.”

In addition, commissioners approved over $500,000 in new equipment purchases for a welding and assembly program to be jointly run with the Centre de services scolaire du Val-des-Cerfs. The upgrades include collaborative welding robots and tool replacements at both the Lennoxville Vocational Training Centre and Campus Brome-Missisquoi.

“Are we getting gold-plated equipment?” joked Murray, to laughter, before noting the heavy investment reflects the province’s emphasis on industry-ready training.

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