Photo: USask Photo The Certificate in Practical and Applied Arts in the Industrial Arts stream is being offered at the USask Prince Albert Campus this fall.
By: Michael Oleksyn
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Prince Albert Daily Herald
The University of Saskatchewan (USask) is expanding industrial arts training for teachers in Prince Albert.
The College of Education announced last week that it will offer its Certificate in Practical and Applied Arts in the Industrial Arts stream through the USask Prince Albert campus beginning in fall 2026.
“It’s a certificate program for people who are currently teaching,” Prince Albert Campus Principal Jay Wilson explained. “This will provide them with some extra training and insights into the practical and applied arts area.”
Wilson said the certificate allows in-service teachers and B.Ed. graduates an opportunity to teach practical and applied arts in schools. The Industrial Arts stream focuses primarily on industrial skills training such as computer-assisted drafting, cabinetry and construction, welding, electricity and electronics and mechanics.
“It may be people who are already teaching there but don’t have that particular qualification because some schools rely on the goodwill and the interest of teachers who haven’t maybe necessarily taken that as a focus of their education degree,” Wilson said.
“Then they’re able to move into those areas and do a better job or to provide programming where there is none in some of the schools.”
The College of Education is also excited about the new program.
“Industrial arts education provides invaluable learning opportunities for students,” College of Education Dean Julia Paulson said in a press release. “We’re pleased to work with the USask Prince Albert Campus and the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division to offer this program for interested teachers.”
Wilson said that it is nice to be able to partner with a local school division like Saskatchewan Rivers.
“We’ve always said that the reason why the campus is here is to support the needs of Prince Albert and community, and this is an excellent example of how we’re doing that,” he said.
Wilson said the university and school division talked to each other before expanding the training. Sask Rivers said they needed shop and home economics teachers and asked what the university could do.
“This is this is something that is near and dear to me as well, Wilson said. “I’ve kind of been advocating for it, but it was the school division that really came to the table and it’s going to help make this work.”
He explained that the flexible format is intended to make the certificate accessible for teachers already working full-time. They are also able to use the facilities at Carlton Comprehensive High School.
Wilson said that’s an important part of the partnership.
“They have (it) all, the wood shops, the mechanics, the food labs, all of those things that we need that we don’t have here, that we don’t have in Saskatoon either,” he explained.
Wilson said that the partnership may be with Sask Rivers but the program will be open to other school divisions who may have the same issues.
In addition to being able to teach practical and applied arts in schools, graduates are eligible for an Additional Qualification Certificate (AQC) through the Saskatchewan Professional Teachers Regulatory Board (SPTRB).
“SRPSD proudly supports this initiative,” Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division Superintendent Jeff Court said in a release. “We look forward to the continued opportunities for our rural students due to this collaboration and partnership.”
Applications are now open and the certificate is scheduled to start in Fall 2026.
Wilson said during an interview on May 15 that he was meeting with teachers at Carlton and Paulson was also in Prince Albert that day.
“I think it’s really important for this campus to have a strong relationship with our K-12 partners, and this is just another component of that, providing that extra training,” Wilson said.
Wilson added that by helping create shop and home economics teachers the university is expanding options for all students.
“It’s really important for us to give students who are coming through our school system opportunities to find a place,” he said. “Some people find a place in their English classes, and some people find a place in their math or science classes.”
He said the practical arts are a gateway to finishing high school for some students allowing them to eventually find work in the trades.
“There’s a lot of kids that take those classes, and that’s why they stay in school and finish a degree. If we have teachers that are better trained, then we can offer more classes. We can have more students staying in our program, completing their grade 12, graduating from high school,” he said.
Wilson said that students than can move into the workforce or take trades programs at Saskatchewan Polytech.
“They can contribute locally because now they’ll know how those tools work or they’ll know how to cook and sew and all those other things that are still a big part of what happens in our community,” he added.
Additional information about the Certificate in Practical and Applied Arts is available online at the USask website.
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca