Apprenticeship can have many benefits for Portage la Prairie students.

That's from Career Development Coordinator for PLPSD Blair Hordeski, who's focus is promoting and encouraging students to take part in the apprenticeship program. "We're trying to get the message out to students and to parents in the community," he says. "I think what we do have going for us is a couple of great students who have participated in the program in the past year who are really helping to sell it this year. Things like our health care aide program this year, again we have some really stellar students participating."

Hordeski's in his second year as Career Development Coordinator and says of the best tools students have is www.myblueprint.ca. A website designed to help students plan their school courses to achieve the career they want in life. "Feedback has been really good," says Hordeski. "It's a one-stop shop for career exploration and career planning and everyone is taking something different away from the program. (Last week) I was working with students that needed help with resumes, needed help creating a portfolio. Other students are using it to plan out using the data integration from Maplewood they can see their courses, and they're using it to plan out different career paths."

He adds it's not just a tool for Grade 12 students, as he would like to see students as early as Grade 7 get involved with the website.