For the next decade-plus, a handful of graduates from Conestoga College won’t have to worry about finding jobs – they’ll already have positions lined up.

Auto parts manufacturer Linamar announced Thursday that it will provide the school with $500,000, to be used to create a new series of scholarships.

Not only will those scholarships cover half the cost of tuition for six students per year, they’ll also guarantee them jobs with Linamar after graduation.

Students awarded the scholarships will also be given co-op placements at Linamar.

“We are always looking for skilled tradespeople – machinists, millwrights, electricians, robotic technicians,” company CEO Linda Hasenfratz said in an interview.

“The problem is that … there is a real shortage.”

To be eligible for one of the scholarships, a student must be part of Conestoga’s general machinery program – through which students obtain diplomas in two years.

Joel Terhaerdt is a robotics student at Conestoga, not a machinery one. Still, he sees value in the program.

“Every student works toward getting a job at the end,” he said.

“Knowing there’s a scholarship opens your eyes into programs you may not think to look into.”

In 2013, more than 68,000 people in Waterloo-Wellington were employed in manufacturing.

That figure represents about 19 per cent of the area’s workforce.

Officials at the Upper Grand District School Board say they’re seeing more students consider colleges or apprenticeships after graduating from high school, and think Thursday’s announcement might encourage even more to enter those arenas.

“It really fits in well with the message we’re trying to give our kids,” said superintendent Carlo Zen.

“We see all pathways as being equal and worthwhile.”

Despite that increase, Hasenfratz says her company and others continue to have trouble finding people with the education and training to fill positions in the skilled trades – which is why she hopes this program can help change that.

“I think there’s a disconnect between the education that the students are getting and where the jobs are,” she said.

The $500,000 should last long enough for the scholarships to be provided for at least 15 years, Hasenfratz said.