JA Nova Scotia - World of Choices - Dartmouth

May 29, 2019 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM

NSCC Ivany Campus

World of Choices (WOC)

 

It’s not often that we get the chance to sit down with someone in the profession we dream of working in.

 

World of Choices brings students together with career mentors working in desired fields and professions.  In small sessions, students learn first hard what it takes to be successful.  Each student participates in four or five interactive sessions that will open a world of choices for Nova Scotia’s youth.

 

Full day events will take place in each school board in May at a local NSCC campus. 

 

Each 25-minute session is 15 minutes for the mentor to talk about their career and 10 minutes for questions and answers. Each session is limited to 30 students.

 

If you are available to mentor or would like to learn more about the program, please contact Blair Duhamel, Program Manager, JA Nova Scotia at bduhamel@JANOVASCOTIA.CA​.

 

Purpose

This program provides students with practical information about preparing for the working world while still in high school. Students will be exposed to a variety of career possibilities and will have the opportunity to learn about the education and qualifications necessary to fulfill their chosen career path. They will leave be excited about their future and better equipped to meet the challenges of today’s work world

 

  • Tailored towards Grade 9 students
  • Enhances and reinforces outcomes in:
    • Child Studies
    • English Language Arts
    • Healthy Living
    • Physical Education
    • Social Studies
    • Technology Education
  • Students go off site to a local NSCC campus
  • Students pre-register, matching interests to career clusters
  • Students will be able to choose at least two of their mentor sessions
  • JA will match the student with others based on their interests
  • Each student will sit in on four or five 25-minute sessions
  • Each session is capped at 30 students
  • Students will participate in a Post-secondary/Career Expo
  • Co-curricular to the junior high school curriculum

 

Goals

Students will:

  • Become empowered to succeed in designing a career path
  • Learn the tools to better meet challenges in today’s work world
  • Gain a better understanding of careers and the educational foundation needed
  • Discover educational opportunities
  • Independently go to mentor sessions
  • Develop a proactive attitude about a future career

  

What will mentors talk about?

·         How did they get to where they are?

·         Why did they choose this career?

·         What are the education requirements for the role?

·         What additional training might be beneficial?

·         Provide a description of what they do and a typical work day or work week

·         What they love about their job and what they dislike?

·         Employment opportunities

·         Pay scale

·         Work/life balance

 

Tips for Mentors

  • Props and/or demonstrations will really add to the student engagement in the presentation.

 

  • Stick to the schedule. Students cannot be let out early and left to wander around, and they cannot be kept past 25 minutes as it will impact the timing of the subsequent sessions.

 

  • Please feel free to hand out business cards, share your email etc if you think it will benefit a specific student.

 

  • The last 10 minutes of the sessions are reserved for questions, but here are a few suggestions for filling that time if there are no questions:

 

o   Have a list of FAQ’s already prepared that you can go over in more detail.

o   Have a back-up addition to your presentation that can be used if you have extra time (a video, short trivia questions about your organization, career, presentation etc.).

 

Tentative Agenda for the day

·         9:30–9:50am                  Buses arrive

·         10:00–10:15am              Welcome and Orientation

·         10:20–10:45am              First mentor Session

·         10:50–11:15am              Second Mentor Session or expo

·         11:20-11:45pm               Third Mentor Session or expo

·         11:50-12:15pm               Fourth Mentor Session or expo

·         12:15-12:45pm               Lunch

·         12:50 -1:15pm                Fifth Mentor Session or expo

·         1:20- 1:30pm                  Wrap up

·         1:30pm                           Buses Depart