Hundreds of Grade 9 students from SD83 will be checking out careers in the local work force on Wednesday as they take part in a career exploration event – the national Take Our Kids to Work Day!
For example, SAS Jackson’s career coordinator Greg Seed said from his school alone over 300 students will be at a plethora of locations from heavy duty equipment operators, manufacturing, hair styling and cosmetics, banks, schools, daycares, and engineer jobs!
At A.L. Fortune career coordinator Michelle Hall reports over 70 per cent of the Grade 9s at that school are going to an actual job site while the others will do a work related assignment. The students will be attending job sites not only in Enderby area but also Kelowna, Salmon Arm, Mara, and Sicamous. “There are lots of different sponsors in both the private and public sector.” She adds students are going to work with a parent, grandparent, siblings or a family friend.
Over at Pleasant Valley Secondary some of the placements where the Grade 9 students will be shadowing include Overlander Golf Course, Woodtone Specialties, Vernon RCMP, Safety First Traffic Control, Nixon Wenger Law Firm, and Len Wood Middle School.
Take Our Kids to Work is an annual national program in which Grade 9 (or equivalent) students are hosted by parents, friends, relatives and volunteers at workplaces across the country every November. The program supports career development by helping students connect school, the world of work, and their own futures. More than 250,000 students and 75,000 organizations take part every year across Canada, from Nunavut to Newfoundland participate in the program.
It is an opportunity for students to explore career options, through:
- Understanding the importance of staying in school by learning first-hand what skills are required in today’s workplace
- Thinking about what aspects of their “work day” they liked and what they didn’t
- Exploring career options in a practical way and gain a better understanding of just how many career choices are open to them
- By spending a day in the life of a working adult, they develop an appreciation of their parents’ work and motivations
The more students understand about the jobs of their parents and relatives, the more informed the decisions about their own future career.