Career de ‘eiopment spot gone

NORTH VANCOUVER

Chamber . of |= Commerce
(NVCC) representatives
expressed their ‘sneer aver
North Vancouver Sohal
District 44's decision to cut the
$50,000 per annum position of

carcer development coordina-

tor in its budget for the next
school year.

EERE UA CE RNC PA PE ETD
NORTH VANCOUVER
SCHOOL BOARD

By Kevin Gillies

_ In a presentation to” board
trustees, Adrian Parker and Karen
Hilton, co-chairs of the NVCC's
Business and Education Committee,
said the board is required to provide
a coordinated system for setting up
work experience. programs for
North Vancouver students.

Work experience becomes. part

“of the curriculum for public schools -

in the coming school year.

Student entering Grade 11° in
September will be required to com-
,plete 30 hours of work experience
by June 1997 in order to graduate.

Hilton said the business commu-
“nity will not participate in a system
that is time consuming and costly.

She expressed concern that in
future individual schools would be

“contacting individual businesses to
- arrange ‘work experience place-
ments,

“If we want our business com-
__ munity to cooperate we need to
“ensure that it is convenient for them
to do so,” Hilton ‘said.

““As a school district you are
required to participate in work expe-
rience. The business community
will be doing so on a voluntary basis
only.”

But Schools Superintendent Dr.
“Robin Brayne said the work place-
- ment system will still be coordinat-
ed.

“We're not saying that this coor-
“dination ..is no «longer. needed, °
Brayne said.

“We're saying that the coordina: :

tion will have to be done by another
full-time person,” Brayne added.
_. He said the salary is an expense
- the board could not afford. Hilton
told the board that not only was the
“position a long-term investment but

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SCHOOLS Superintendant r.
Robin Brayne said the student
work placement program will
continue with another coordi-
nator.

that it was also self-financing.

She said the coordinator last year
generated $137,000 in grants to the
district while being paid $50,000.

Accompanying Hilton: and
Parker was Bob Dodge of Cypress
Bowl.

The ski resort has’a large work
experience program on the ‘North
Shore. He. said it has taken three

“ years to develop its Outreach pro-

gram and told trustees that business
partnerships are needed because of
scarce resources.

In an open letter to the board,
Hilton said,.“We are concerned that
our school district will fall behind in
career development at great cost to

our children and businesses,

“If our school district does not
have a coordinated program, who
will ensure that students are achiev-
ing the desired outcomes and most
importantly (are) gaining: signifi-
cant, relevant experience?

“Without this direct link to the

school district, all business and edu- _

cation cooperation is at risk.”

The board received the presenta-
tion with appreciation and said it
would further examine. the self-
financing aspect of the position.

Earlier in the week the school
district. made headlines by cutting
18 adult crossing guard positions
and slashing $1.7 million from next
year's budget.

The district is still carrying a:

$1.7 million deficit from this schoo!

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