DUNNVILLE—Students in Dunnville Secondary School’s transportation programs have been getting hands-on experience with current vehicle parts, thanks to a donation through Ford Canada’s Automotive Career Exploration (ACE) program.
Principal Geoff Stead said the school was informed about the donation by Grand Erie District School Board’s (GEDSB) Experiential Learning department at the end of 2024.
“We happily accepted. This a wonderful opportunity for students to get some relevant equipment that allows them that experiential learning, that really hands-on learning piece, which we value so much in education,” he said.
The donation to the school included two transmissions, two engines, some alternators, and starters.
“One of the really awesome things about … the engines in particular is, a student will look at an engine, and they’ll typically see it from the outside, but this gives them the opportunity to pull the engine apart, and actually see what an engine looks like inside,” as well as put it back together afterwards, Stead said. “It’s that really next level of learning, to be able to get into that detail.”
For many years, there’s been an ongoing shortage of people going into the skilled trades; as more seasoned workers retire from fields like automotive repair, construction, electrical, plumbing, etc., these essential jobs aren’t being filled with fresh recruits.
Stead said that’s why donations like this are so important.
“Having access to some of these pieces … naturally also builds engagement” for students on their learning journey, he said. “I don’t think that’s something you can put a price tag on, so to speak; it’s just invaluable learning.”
Stead said each year, between 65-85 students will be able to benefit from the donation; for the most part, it will be the students in Grades 11 and 12 that will be accessing the parts.
Being able to learn on more modern equipment is a boon, he noted.
“Like anything else, things change and technology changes.… Having access to some equipment that is more up-to-date, more relevant, certainly helps them stay on track with what’s going on in the industry.”
Stead said the school was “very grateful to Ford Canada for providing us this opportunity.”
