OTTAWA — It’s not usually hard to get high school students excited about a road trip and the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council is hoping their version will pay off for the industry.

Road Trip – an interactive awareness program unveiled by the CTHRC – is designed to give high school educators a new set of tools to promote career options in Canada’s trucking industry.

A participant’s guide informs students about the many roles that are required to deliver a cell phone from a factory to a local retail outlet, while a companion guide for educators focuses on the essential skills that students would need to pursue the related careers.

The Road Trip content is further enhanced by visits with industry partners, says the CTHRC.

“Road Trip highlights the wide variety of opportunities that the trucking industry has to offer,” said CTHRC project manager Tamara Miller, following the program’s introduction at Truck World. “In addition to introducing participants to specific career options and similar occupations, the new tools clearly explain the essential skills that are required to perform these roles.”

The training initiative was made possible through the Education Sector Council Partnerships Project, which involves the Alliance of Sector Councils and the Toronto District School Board, as well as support from the Ontario Trucking Association Education Fund.

During the recent Truck World trade show in Toronto, members of the Ontario Trucking Association’s Road Knights Team served as guides for more than 80 students from Lakeshore Collegiate Institute, Central Etobicoke High School and Northview Heights Secondary School as they visited selected exhibitor booths with Road Trip material in hand.

“Road Trip has the potential of giving many high school students their first real exposure to career options in the trucking industry,” Miller adds. “And the format lets industry partners bring the information to life.”