ST. JOHN’S, NL – The federal and provincial governments are funding three new hands-on programs being offered to high school students in Newfoundland and Labrador by Oceans Learning Partnerships Inc.
The programs will allow students to learn about careers in ocean-related industries.
The province is contributing $313,428 towards the initiative, while an additional $141,098 will come from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s (ACOA) business development program.
The programs include a summer internship program for high school students and an enrichment program focussed on marine data collection and remote monitoring. There is also an online mentorship program connecting students to real-world projects.
Through the pilot initiative, the organization will offer educational programs to more students in rural areas such as Clarenville, Harbour Grace, Norris Point and Harbour Breton, as well as to Indigenous students in Coast of Bays on the province’s south coast and in Bay of Islands on the west coast.
“Interns will be engaged in hands-on fieldwork, job shadowing in host companies and working on real-world projects with research scientists and professionals in industries such as aquaculture, ocean technology, shipbuilding and marine tourism,” Leslie Grattan, Oceans Learning Partnership Inc.’s interim chair, said in a news release today, Jan. 12.
“Through these dynamic learning experiences, young people in the province will gain practical and marketable skills and get exposed directly to a range of careers and entrepreneurial ventures in the oceans sector.”