Unique action sports program at Algonquin College in need of applicants
A one of a kind program at Algonquin College in Pembroke, Ont. is looking to boost enrolment ahead of its return this fall.
The Action Sports Park Development Program will be rebooted next semester after being shut down during the pandemic.
On Friday, Colony Skate Shop and School hosted an open house for the program in the hopes of raising awareness.
"Snow terrain parks, bike parks, single track trail systems, skate parks, dirt jump parks, you name it, that's what our students come here to learn to do," said Cameron Dube, the program's coordinator.
"Historically, we've been between 15 and 20 (students per year), and we'd love to hit that target again."
Skate shop co-owner Tanner Hogan says Pembroke is unique in that it is the only community in Renfrew County with a concrete skate park. He adds that the relationship between his store and the college needs to be there for the local skateboarding community to thrive.
"Right now, we're trying to bump the numbers up and get enrolment because we were always excited to work with the college," Hogan tells CTV News.
"The amount of dedicated, educated, and available workers in this industry is probably suffering because not enough people think that this is a valid career choice."
Mathieu Faucher, 17, of Pembroke came out to Friday's open house - he regularly skates at Colony's indoor ramp. He says he's not exactly sure what he wants to do once he graduates high school.
"I really need to go to college and I want to learn about something, and learning about something that's related to all my interests that I'm having right now would be awesome," Faucher said.
Dube says that the unique program offered at Algonquin College's Pembroke campus cannot be found anywhere else in Canada at the post-secondary level.
Dube is hoping the local recruitment efforts will be enough to sustain the program in its first year back.
"Our graduates have landed jobs all over the world from building concrete skate parks in Egypt to working at all the famous resorts out west, driving groomers, terrain park groomer operators," says the program coordinator.
"As far as sustainability goes, people need to know that this is the only program available of its kind," adds Hogan.
"If it didn't exist, you wouldn't be able to get this kind of post-secondary education anywhere else."
As for Faucher, he feels lucky that the program of his dreams is available in his hometown, but his college hopes are riding on the fact that enrolment numbers prove the interest out there.
"Maintenance of skate parks and building of skate parks and helping with all that planning, that would be really cool to get a permanent job in that field."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.