“It provides an opportunity for students to get a dry run of the workplace,” said Jim Milne, co-op teacher at Huntsville High School. “If they have a career in mind, they can pick a placement in that area with one of the amazing community partners we have. I\u2019ve lived in this town for 11 years and I didn\u2019t think the community support could get better than it already is, but being the co-op teacher has blown me away with the support from the community.”<\/p>\n
Students can find placements in a wide range of career fields from baking to health and wellness to trades. And some get offered work or apprenticeships beyond their co-op placement.<\/p>\n
“We were able to get five apprenticeships secured [this year],” said Milne. “They\u2019ll be starting on the job as full-time apprentices on July 1, the day after graduation.”<\/p>\n
One of those students is Cooper Haynes, who had lost interest in attending regular classes at school and signed up for the co-op program a few weeks into the school year.<\/p>\n
“I didn\u2019t really want to come to school, I didn\u2019t want to drop out but kind of did,” he said. “I\u2019m not a big fan of school.”<\/p>\n
![\"HHS](\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2020\/02\/HHS-Co-op-1-Cooper-Haynes-left-and-Zach-Belfry-Mandi-Hargrave.jpg\")
HHS students Cooper Haynes (left) and Zach Belfry are fans of the school’s co-op program (Mandi Hargrave)<\/p><\/div>\n
“Cooper reminds me a lot of myself,” added Milne. “I was 16 in Scotland when I was finished high school and got into the trades right away. School wasn\u2019t for me, but when it was related to work I went to college for six years and I had no problem sitting in a college chair because it was related to stuff I loved doing.”<\/p>\n
Haynes can relate.<\/p>\n
“I don\u2019t like school, that\u2019s how it is. I\u2019m not very good at it and I barely pass my classes. When I started co-op I found that it brought me back and I found my place where I want to be and where I want to go,” said Haynes, who wants to become an auto service technician.<\/p>\n
Milne works with the co-op students to find an appropriate placement based on what the student thinks they may want to do in the future.<\/p>\n
“We try to find placements for students that are successful for the student and the employer,” said Milne. “With Cooper\u2019s position I thought we might not get a good placement that would be a fit for his first choice. But we were able to connect with Huntsville Honda and we were able to get him in there and by my first visit he was almost getting his own work space, half-way through the semester we were talking apprenticeships. The program got Cooper in the door, but he made a job for himself by his efforts on placement.”<\/p>\n
![\"Cooper](\"https:\/\/media-doppleronline-ca.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2020\/02\/HHS-Co-op-4-Cooper-Haynes-apprenticeship-at-Huntsville-Honda-Jim-Milne.jpg\")
Cooper Haynes earned himself an apprenticeship at Huntsville Honda through his experience in the HHS co-op program (Jim Milne)<\/p><\/div>\n
The other students who secured apprenticeships this year are Jeff Cormier with Muskoka Auto Parts, Alan East with Jeff Pearson HVAC, Matt Vowels with Pro Street Powersports, and Connor Warboys with Muskoka Rent-All.<\/p>\n\n\t\t