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Youth

Breaking Down Barriers: Anissa Barreira-Cook Challenges Traditional Roles in Automotive Repair

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Orchard Park Secondary School student Anissa Barreira-Cook is making strides in the male-dominated field of automotive repair. She's completing a co-op placement at Cino Auto Repair in Stoney Creek, where she's gained hands-on experience in maintenance, computerized diagnostics, and more. Barreira-Cook's journey is made possible through the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) and the transportation specialist high skills major (SHSM) program at Orchard Park.

Key Takeaways:

  • Anissa Barreira-Cook, a Grade 12 student at Orchard Park Secondary School, is participating in the transportation SHSM program and completing a co-op placement at Cino Auto Repair through the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP).
  • Through OYAP, Barreira-Cook is earning two co-operative education credits and gaining valuable work experience in the transportation sector.
  • Barreira-Cook is the first female co-op student at Cino Auto Repair in over 15 years and has expressed her passion for automotive repair, encouraged by her family and supportive work environment.
  • Cino Auto co-owner Serge Cino notes that the industry is evolving, and there are opportunities for young women to enter the field, particularly as older technicians retire.
  • The transportation SHSM program prepares students to make informed decisions in their apprenticeship pathway during and after high school.
  • Barreira-Cook's participation in the program has the potential to lead to a paying job and future contacts for a job reference.

Statistics:

  • Barreira-Cook is the first female co-op student at Cino Auto Repair in over 15 years.
  • Through OYAP, Barreira-Cook is earning two co-operative education credits.
  • The transportation SHSM program is a two-year program, beginning in Grade 11.
  • 80 % of older technicians are looking to retire soon, according to Serge Cino.
  • Cino Auto Repair has a strong working relationship with Orchard Park High School, with several technicians graduating from the OYAP program.

Sources:

  • "Student earns distinction in hands-on trades" (no publication date provided)
  • Ontariocolleges.ca (no publication date provided)
  • OYAP (Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program) (no publication date provided)

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