Bonnetts Energy Centre was a packed house on March 21st for the city’s 2024 Youth Career Expo.
More than 2,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 30 wandered around the rink exploring a variety of career options and booths from local businesses and schools from around the country.
A number of students were in attendance, and Chanel Brathwaite, a junior high school teacher at St. Gerrard says the event was an exciting opportunity for students to explore their options after high school.
“I think it’s really great for them to see all that they have for choices,” she says. “The benefit of bringing the kids is giving them an opportunity to expose them to opportunities that they have outside of school, even ones that I’m not knowledgeable of or ones that are new.”
Brathwaite says she was especially pleased to see the variety of booths at the event, which she says shows the shift in mentality in the school system from the traditional high school to college route, to one that emphasizes trades and other employment opportunities.
“When I went to school, it was very much pushing degrees and university and that was kind of it, but now it even gives me a better idea of how to best support my students in what they want to do moving forward,” she says. “I’m a French teacher so I’m always trying to see ways French can be applied to their future lives so it’s interesting to see what’s available so I can support them in that as well.”
In terms of interest, Brathwaite noted how open-minded many of her students were to options outside of university. She says the trend is now to move into trades and other in-demand careers, especially in rural Alberta.