Northlands Parkway Collegiate (NPC) in Winkler was the host site for an annual career symposium on Wednesday. The event switches off each year between Winkler's Garden Valley Collegiate and NPC.
This year, students had the opportunity to explore about 35 exhibitors, ranging from local businesses to Apprenticeship MB, colleges, universities, and Bible schools that showcased training and career options available to students. The day also included information sessions with a number of the exhibitors.
“I talked to a few of my peers, and I think a lot of them know what they're going to do, and a lot of them don't know what they're going to do," said grade 12 student and NPC Student Council Co-chair, Annika Roberts. "But for some of them, even when they know, it's those couple of steps in between, maybe a summer job...they found an opportunity that they'd like to do or apply to, or different options within the university. So going to those information sessions, it was really helpful, even if you know what you’re going to do.”
"I think no matter the path, whether it was university or around the community, I think that this career symposium really helps students to kind of see what's available around them and help choose their future path," added student Council Chair, Olivia Groening.
"I definitely learned a lot about University of Manitoba, or even the Brandon University," said Groening. "The representative there really helped me to understand the kind of science program, which is what I'm wanting to go into, especially medicine. And to help me understand kind of the program, and what's the difference between the three-year and the four-year and just how that helps you along. Yeah, that really helped me."
Groening noted, although she has an older sibling in university to learn from and talk to, it helps to hear from the university representatives themselves to really hear the information about the first steps that go into going to university.
Roberts also noted discovering information about a lot of different volunteer opportunities. "And even jobs, like coming back into the community during the summer, there are a few places that got me interested, and maybe I'll perhaps go there in the future."
She went on to say, "all the community businesses that came did a really good job of including things that would bring the students in and gain their interest, and within that then trying to gain interest in the business itself. But yeah, there were lots of opportunities throughout the day.”
“I definitely think that students from every single school were really involved, and I saw them going to all the booths and they are really interacting. There were even some activities that you could do there. There was spin the wheel, there were prizes, and I think a lot of students not only learned a lot, but had a lot of fun too,” said Groening.