SCI student excels in apprenticeship
Baileigh Boileau is 120 pounds of fearless, says John Broderick, co- owner of J&R Cycle near Stayner.
Broderick has been working with co-op students for 40 years, and puts Boileau at the head of the class.
“She asks good questions, she listens and she learns,” he said.
Boileau started working at J&R last year as part of her Grade 11 co- op program at Stayner Collegiate Institute. She got her first dirt bike at age 12 and started working on it herself. When it was time to think about co-op placements, something to do with bikes was the first thing that came to mind. Once that ended, she began working Saturdays, and it eventually morphed into a summer job.
“I learn something new every day and it’s great because I can use the things that I learn to help myself at home,” said Boileau.
She is enrolled in the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP). Once she graduates from high school, all the hours she has worked at J&R will be applied toward the requirements of certification as a motorcycle technician. According to Skills Trades Ontario, certification involves a total of 6,000 hours including 5,520 on the job and 480 hours of classroom training.
At this point, Boileau intends to pursue a career as a motorcycle technician but she laughs, “I’m a teenager. As a kid I wanted to be a cop so who knows.”
She plans to do another co-op placement at J&R Cycle in the coming school year and hopes to be hired on full-time after high school.
“There are three full-time mechanics at J&R,” said Boileau. “They are always super helpful and willing to teach.”
A typical workday involves lots of oil and differential changes on bikes, four-wheelers and side-by-sides, plus helping out in the showroom.
“I’d like to work on snowmobiles so hopefully I’ll get to do that this winter,” she said.
Boileau lives with her family in Avening, and hopes to remain in this area as she loves small town life. When she’s not working on bikes, Boileau plays competitive lacrosse in the Stayner Minor Lacrosse League, but was recently sidelined by a couple of cracked ribs.
Boileau describes herself as “not much of a scholar,” but she does like math and geography. The co-op program is a highlight for her, adding, “I love how hands-on it is.”
Bonnie MacPherson photo: Avening teen Baileigh Boileau, 16, on the job at J&R Cycle where she is working toward becoming a motorcycle technician.
