About Tools For Schools
The Tools for Schools’ program was created as a way to ensure that students who are enrolled in industrial arts and related courses have access to tools, safety equipment, consumables and other related construction materials.
The goal being to put tools in the hands of Junior High students in order to foster a love for building, innovation, and construction.
Testimonials
"The students at H.E. Beriault are incredibly grateful for the Tools for Schools program. Your support has provided the students here with access to new tools and techniques that have improved their building ability and increased the quality of production.
Our group project was completed by one of the Grade 8 Construction classes at the school. The brainstorming session was an important part of the project as the students went through numerous ideas until landing on a bench for the front of our school. Their main concern was creating a project that was going to benefit the school community as a whole, while leaving a lasting legacy.
H.E. Beriault Catholic School
"As part of the Tools for Schools program, our Grade 9 students had the opportunity to engage in a meaningful hands-on construction project that combined creativity, sustainability, and community spirit.
Using the tools generously provided through the program, students designed and built a beautiful wishing well-style planter to enhance the front entrance of our school. What makes this project especially unique is that students recycled the wooden crate that the tools themselves were delivered in, demonstrating not only craftsmanship but environmental responsibility."
Christ the King Catholic School
"We at St. Hilda thank you for your generous donation of tools. The lathe has quickly become a fan favourite amongst the grade nine students and has already produced some cool projects. Your support has already had an impact on our CTF: Construction program, giving students access to a wider range of equipment that our normal funding would not have been able to provide.
The plywood has found its way into a variety of our students’ projects, including desk organizers, cabinets, and other small projects. The 2x6s from the crate were repurposed into a slat bench to use in the school."
St Hilda Catholic School
"The students at Fr. Michael McCaffery are very thankful for the tools and materials from Tools for Schools!
In our first year of being operational, the program allowed us to fill some gaps and helped our semesters run much more efficiently. A large part of our tool order included additional clamps, so we thought it would be fitting to use some of the materials from the crate to create components of our mobile clamp rack such as the base and paper holder. This project is still in progress, and our students next year will continue adding to it, so that will be something that benefits our program for many years to come!"
Father Michael McCaffery Catholic School
We received a 3D printer, which our Grade 8 students will use so that they have something
else to work on once they’re done with their CO2 cars. I also ordered wood-burning tools for my Grade 7 students for their motivational signs. Finally, the rest of the wood was used to make another lost and found bin for the school.
Once again, thank you so much for your great contribution to the St. Brendan community!"
St. Brendan Catholic School
"Cardinal Leger Catholic Junior High School was very fortunate and appreciative to receive tools and equipment for use in the Construction program.
The equipment arrived in crates made of 2X4 lumber. In an effort to reuse and repurpose, the students were challenged to use the lumber to build a product. After some brainstorming of ideas, the students decided to build a sitting bench."
Cardinal Leger Catholic School
"On behalf of our participating schools and students, we extend our sincere thanks to the Edmonton Construction Association for your generosity through the Tools for Schools program.
Your support has a meaningful impact helping students develop practical skills, complete creative projects, and gain hands-on experience that can inspire future pathways in the skilled trades. Your contribution will resonate in our classrooms for years to come."
Edmonton Catholic School Division
Cycle Four 2024 - 2025
We have wrapped up our 2025 Tools for Schools program!
This year we successfully delivered much needed tools and materials to 21 junior high schools across Edmonton and the surrounding areas.
Since the launch of the program the ECA on behalf of its membership has supported over 72 junior high shop programs.
Thank you to our Sponsors:
PCL Construction | Home Depot | Delnor Construction | Kerr Interior | Lafarge | Sparklean DKI
CRATE BUILD
In January 2025, the ECA team and some of our member volunteers came together at the Kerr warehouse to build the 20+ crates needed to deliver the tools.
Thank you to our volunteers, Carolyn Aumiller, Brad Mielke, Ashley Tan, Emily Dinn, and Chris N for taking time out of their days to help support our Tools for Schools Program.
DELIVERIES
Over 2 days, our team, as well as trucks & volunteers from Sparklean DKI, delivered 21 crates of tools to schools across Edmonton and the surrounding areas.
During our deliveries, we had the pleasure of meeting the teachers and students receiving the tools. These interactions only further our drive to support local junior high schools and provide tools to students who otherwise might go without.
Check out our 2025 deliveries video on our Instagram Account.
Cycle Three 2023 - 2024
We have wrapped up our 2024 Tools for Schools program!
This year we successfully delivered much needed tools and materials to 27 junior high schools across the Edmonton Catholic, Edmonton Public, Elk Island and Parkland County school boards.
Since the launch of the program the ECA on behalf of its membership has supported over 50 junior high shop programs.
Cycle Two 2022 - 2023
We built on the previous successes and with the full support of the ECA Board of Directors grew the program to $75,000 total budget and the goal of supporting 20 school programs. Teachers we invited to pick tools and materials from a specific list but were free to also ask for specific items of need based on their shop and program needs. No two shop programs picked the same list, though all received a class set of PPE, and a crate a tool crate. Of particular interest to most shops were cordless tools as most of the spaces have limited wall outlets for power tools. The timeline for the project this year was greatly accelerated and took from November through to mid-February.
2023 Delivery
This year in 2023, the ECA, on behalf of its members, and with the support of Lafarge (PPE donation), Kerr Interiors (shop and warehouse space), Home Depot Canada, we delivered much needed tools, consumable materials, safety supplies, and recognition to these students and teachers that are preparing the newest candidates for our construction industry.
With an increased budget of over $70,000 we were able to reach 21 schools in the Edmonton Public and Parkland school division. It has long been our goal to not only get tools in the hands of the students, but to also recognize the amazing teachers who work tirelessly to help foster a love of building and working with their hands, in our youth.
CYCLE ONE 2021 - 2022
Junior high shop programs are where students are first introduced to the joy of working with hands and tools, igniting thoughts of trade, design, and construction careers in general. This is where our trades people come from and small efforts here to support and recognize these young people, validating their choices, will pay dividends for our industry for generations.
In 21/22, now called cycle one, we resurrected the program on a small scale to test the response and the effort needed to implement it. With just four programs supported, at the cost of $10,000, we had some very important realizations. The first being that the need was real, and that it was most acute in junior high shop programs.
2022 Delivery
On Friday, April 8th, 2022, the ECA team, members of the ECA Board of Directors, and ECA Career Pathways Committee, in partnership with Home Depot, were excited to deliver over $10,000 worth of tools to 3 local schools as part of the ECA Tools for Schools program. This program seeks to get much-needed tools into the hands of students and introduce them to a career in construction.