By Emily Stonehouse

While the students of Haliburton Highlands Secondary School (HHSS) may go off to explore the world, the Homebuilder’s Association wants people to know that there are plenty of opportunities, right here at home.

On April 16, 33 businesses and organizations from across the county set up booths in the high school gym to showcase their offerings. “We wanted to open up everything at multiple levels,” said Aggie Tose, the organizer of the event. “We wanted to show all the types of employment that are available right here in Haliburton.”

The full-day event was catered to students from ages Grade 8 and up. The organizers coordinated bussing to ensure the senior students from Archie Stouffer could also participate. “It’s a pretty hyped up event,” said secondary school teacher Renato D’Ambrosio. “There are a lot of trades here, but it’s not just the trades,” he said. “There are also a lot of volunteer opportunities available for the students to get their volunteer hours.”

Andrew Brown of Haliburton Crew custom homes has been attending the event since it started, for three years before the COVID-19 pandemic put the event on pause, and the three events that have occurred following the pandemic. “We really need more people in the trades,” he said. “With the elections happening now, everyone is promising housing, but no one is thinking about who’s going to build those houses.”

Brown noted that speaking to the students is key. “We should be talking to these students, and getting them ready to be in the trades,” he said.

Other organizations present were Compass Early Years Centre, the County of Haliburton, local paramedics, police officers, and fire crews. Canoe FM had a booth set up, and were having fun recording students who wanted to practice their ‘radio voices’ for the station.

Each booth had neon signs indicating whether there were student job openings, co-op opportunities, and/or upcoming volunteer occasions. While some tables had a simplified set-up, others included interactive activities and challenges to get the students involved.

The students were split up by grade, with Grade 9s starting first thing in the morning, and working their way up. Each student was given a scavenger hunt sheet in an effort to encourage them to open up to the visiting businesses.

“This wasn’t here when I went to Hal High,” said Eleanor Dobbins of CDH Carpentry LTD. “But it’s so great to be able to talk to kids who are interested in this kind of work.” Dobbins noted that at that point, CDH had put a number of students through trades school, and intends to continue that for future employees. “We definitely need more people in the trades to be working locally,” she said.

For more information on the Haliburton County Homebuilders Association, visit their website at www.hchba.ca.