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Today’s high school grads enjoy a dazzling array of post-secondary career options; but how do they know which is the right fit for them—not to mention how to get there?
Ottawa, ON — Each June, more than 300,000 bleary eyed teenagers across Canada peer up from their final high school exam and realize that they will soon be confronted with one of the most important decision of their young lives.
Many of them have done the research, have asked the right people the right questions, and are already primed for the career ahead of them. Yet for thousands of others, the multitude of choices out there is not only perplexing but often paralysing.
The Canadian Council on Learning’s latest report on the state of post-secondary education (PSE) underlines the importance of a PSE education for success in a modern industrialized world. But it also highlights the difficult decision-making process that many high-school grads currently face. What career option is the right one? What PSE institution—whether it’s a university, college, polytechnic or a private learning centre—is the right match to get there?
Troy Ireland knows about this process first hand.
Self-confident and sure-footed, Ireland headed to Carleton University two years ago after graduating from high school with his heart set on a degree in the humanities. But pretty soon, the class valedictorian discovered that he and the classics were a poor fit and after a year or so of vacillating over other majors, he decided to take a break. So he put down his text books, picked up a tool belt and began working for his stepfather, an independent construction contractor.
“I love it as a side project, but I would never see it as a full-time job,” the 19-year-old says. Now, when he isn’t working, he’s scouring the internet looking for inspiration. He says his decision is not made any easier by the wealth of career and PSE information at his fingertips.
Currently interested in a career in the theatre, Ireland is busy winnowing down the PSE choices that can help get him there. For instance, he recently dismissed a private college that boasted a short fine arts program—at a cost of $15,000 a year. The post-secondary options are, indeed, plentiful and varied, and many young people could benefit from the help of educators, institutions, businesses, professional and trade associations and government.
Accessing information
As Ireland discovered, the internet is a wealth of career information. Most post-secondary institutions have websites packed with all the information a prospective student could want.
The federal government, through Human Resources and Social Development Canada, regularly publishes data on some 30,000 job titles classed into 520 occupational groups. It also offers employment outlooks for each occupation, and explains what it takes to work in each field. Provincial and territorial governments also host career-search websites, generally referred to as WorkInfoNets.
“There’s a lot of stuff out there, but it could be better organized and pulled together,” says Alison Green, a secondary school career counsellor in suburban Ontario. Her office sets up students with specialized “guidance technicians” who helps them navigate their way through the virtually unlimited resources available.
Some students, confused by these resources, are turning to a more old-fashioned approach.
Determined to pursue a career in business, Yuxuan Gan chose to get most of his information about post-secondary options from older friends. For him, the turning point came when his business teacher suggested he attend a local meeting of chartered accountants.
“I went to the [Chartered Accountants] conference and learned that this career is quite different than a lot of people think,” the 17-year-old says with newfound enthusiasm. Alberta is one province that recognizes the value of such breakthrough moments, where a chance encounter can open young people’s eyes to their own future. Toward that end, educators and businesses foster interactions between the workplace and the classroom in many different ways.
The Registered Apprenticeship Program, for example, lets students earn while they learn. They can collect a salary, high school credits and apprenticeship hours through placements in more than 50 different trades, from appliance service technician to welder. The province’s Career and Technology Studies program also exposes secondary students to 22 different types of occupations, including agriculture, cosmetology, communication technologies, forestry, food studies and tourism.
Easing the transition
Across Canada, The Learning Partnership, a consortium of business, education, government, labour, policy makers and the community, operates several programs to help students vault from the classroom to the work world.
Such initiatives are well received by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), which worries about future labour shortages. In fact, says the federation, four in 10 unfilled jobs will be in the skilled and technical category, principally the trades. While few students would know it, for instance, Canada is currently suffering a serious shortage of railway conductors.
“Not everybody has to get a university degree in order to have a rewarding job and to support themselves and their families,” says Danielle Smith, CFIB’s director of provincial affairs for Alberta.
For Alison Green, motivated career-oriented students like Gan and Ireland make her life as a joy. It’s the other students who she’s more concerned about.
“The problem is that the kids we see at student services are often the kids who don’t need it. The ones who need it most never darken the door.”
In the end, she says some students struggling to map out their futures just need a human touch; a chat with a trusted adult.
“Often it’s just a matter of demystifying it,” she explains. “It’s about helping students see how people in particular careers got to where they are. You help them see what they themselves are capable of, and to figure out a pathway forward so that they can make better choices for themselves and their future.”
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