With a roving trailer of tools, toys and tires, this program introduces kids to skilled trades

The students at Walkerton District Community School walked into the school cafeteria last month to a scene that might open their eyes to a future they haven’t considered.

Instead of rows of tables and chairs, they were met with something more like an interactive science museum: hands-on stations introducing them to more than 10 skilled trades.

There was an excavator to dig up dirt and a virtual welding station. At the electrical station kids could strip wires and set up an outlet. Another station focused on measuring, where students learned to use a tape measure and practise their fractions by stacking coloured pieces of wood. At the next stop, they could do dexterity tests to figure out what trades they might be best at, moving coloured checker pieces to test how quick their movements are and using pliers to move small pegs to different holes across a board.