Nineteen students from School District 69’s Rivers Ocean and Mountain School (ROAMS) are back from Manning Park where they spent four days getting hands on training in resort related work.
“Resort staff has been extremely supportive of ROAMS students coming up for work experience for the last two years,” said ROAMS teacher Darin Carmichael of their time at the Manning Park Resort School.
Accompanied by the Vancouver Island School Ski Patrol Program (VISSPP), students spent long days on the ski hill shadowing patrol, operations, rentals and snow school staff.
“And students had just completed their gruelling Occupational First Aid level 3, so it was good for them to see employers and job positions that required it,” Carmichael said. “It’s an awesome resort, close to Vancouver, affordable, family oriented,” he said, thanking them for their ongoing support. “It’s a fantastic destination.”
The students were busy lately with a fitness test on March 30 which will earn three students a chance to pilot the Ministry of Forests, Wildfire Management Branch’s Junior Fire Crew program for Coastal Fire Centre. Twenty students will receive basic training in wildfire suppression and go through a short list and interview process. They are also planting trees with Island Timberlands near Hamilton Marsh.
ROAMS is an outdoor career education program that focuses on combining experiential education, industry recognized credentials and work experience. For more information, contact Carmichael at dcarmichael@sd69.bc.ca or Jake Friesen at jfriesen@sd69.bc.ca for VISSPP.