Epic Day lets students connect with professions
About 600 local high school students had a chance to kick the tires on about 75 different professions during the Career Transitions Epic Day held at Exhibition Park on Wednesday.
Encompassing four broad sectors — agriculture and environment, STEM, trades and health — Epic Day was about creating broad exposure to various professions and postsecondary pathways students could pursue, said Career Transitions executive director Judy Stolk-Ingram.
“They have the opportunity to connect with different professionals from different occupations to learn about just what those occupations are about, and what are the pathways to get there,” confirmed Stolk-Ingram. “Hopefully at the end of it, students will have a better sense of what they like and what they are drawn to. And what information they can use to make some postsecondary decisions.”
Hands-on and interactive learning was also a theme for the day, she said.
“That interactive piece is a requirement,” stated Stolk-Ingram. “When we negotiate with our exhibitors to come, we ask them to bring something which is hands- on, or a very compelling demo, so students not only hear about the occupation but they can actually see and visualize it, and get a better sense of what might be involved.”
Calvin Christian School teacher Bill Vander Weide certainly appreciated the interactive aspect of the day for his students, and felt the students got a lot out of it, too.
“There is a lot of hands-on opportunities presented by the employers,” he said, “so they are in the perfect position to answer questions that kids have about how much money they could actually make, how you get into this job, and what courses they need to get. It’s very relevant and it is all right here in front of them.”
G.S. Lakie Grade 8 student Keegan O’Brien said the Epic exhibits gave him a lot of food for thought and were actually quite fun to interact with.
“I feel the fact everyone is here sharing their work and what they enjoy is very good,” he said. “I personally have learned a lot here, and I think it is very good to come out and learn about all this stuff. It is important for students to come and learn about the opportunities they have in their community.”
And it’s not just the students who get a lot out of the day, stated Stolk-Ingram — it’s also a great day for the exhibitors.
“We’ve got lots of repeat exhibitors, she said, “some which have been here for every year for the last nine years. I think if you were to ask them, they are really keen on connecting with their future workforce.”