New lathe arrives at Wellington Heights Secondary School

WELLINGTON NORTH – A $25,780 portion of $185,332 in total provincial funding announced on Feb. 16 has gone toward the purchase of a new lathe at Wellington Heights Secondary School (WHSS) in Mount Forest.

“Wellington Heights is very grateful for the generous donation that was distributed to us by the Canadian Tooling and Machining Association,” WHSS principal Brent Bloch wrote in an emailed statement.

A new high-speed, precision lathe was received at the school last week, replacing an older model.

“Last year, the funding allowed us to replace a surface grinder, as well as a metal lathe,” Bloch noted.

The school was also given tooling packages, much to the elation of manufacturing teacher Erick Rauser.

“This ongoing support for technology courses and the trades is greatly appreciated by the students and staff at Wellington Heights, and will help to prepare students for a possible future career in the trades,” Bloch wrote.

Canadian Tooling and Machining Association (CTMA) executive director Robert Cattle stated in a press release that exposure to technology at an early age provokes interest in trades careers.

“Not only does this expose students to newer technology at an earlier age, but also gives teachers up-to-date equipment to implement in their classrooms,” Cattle stated.

The province claims that by 2025, one of every five jobs will be in skilled trades.

Taxpayer dollars are funneled by the provincial government to the CTMA and Ontario Council for Technology and Education, which facilitate purchases of CNC milling centres, lathes, plasma cutters, CNC desktop milling machines, high precision conventional milling machines, lathes and more.

The remaining $159,552 went to three other schools in Perth County, according to the province’s release.