Career Connections is a leading community-based model of education, which allows students to design their own unique futures. Through our model, students engage in meaningful career development opportunities and achieve higher results accordingly. While forging personalized pathways, our students are excited about where their education is taking them. And so are we!
Students at Dr. Elliott School are very impressed by the wide range of innovative, flexible programming opportunities available in their local communities of Acme and Linden, Alberta. During their time in Junior High, students become increasingly self-aware and confident in their distinct passions, talents, and aspirations. Participating in Career Exploration activities, through partnerships with local businesses and organizations, means that students develop many competencies in an authentic, hands-on way.
Grade 9 Employability Skills Competition
In the past year, our Grade 9 students participated in the Grade 9 Employability Skills Competition, where students prepare cover letters and resumes for an individual interview with one of six local Human Resource Specialists from Alberta Proud Real Estate, ATB Financial, CBI Manufacturing, Linden Agri-Centre, OK Tire, and Sunterra Farms. The top candidate from each of the initial groupings then moved on to compete in a final panel interview.
Students enjoyed the applied experience and appreciated seeing the relevancy of what they were learning in a broader context.
“It was fun. I liked it because I have a better understanding of what I will face the next time I have an interview. I now have an idea of what they’re going to ask me the next time I go,” said Josh Martin about his community interview experience.
Career Exploration Day
Currently, students are reflecting on Career Exploration day, where they had the opportunity to connect with over 30 businesses and organizations representing the five Career Clusters, based on Alberta’s Career and Technology Program of Studies. At the fair, students were exposed to a range of careers in each of those clusters, ranging from those in professional organizations, trade schools, technical schools, colleges, and universities.
Students were amazed by the diversity and availability of challenging, rewarding, and sustainable careers in their local community.
“There are so many careers that I had no idea existed and are really interesting. This really opened up my views about the future,” said Grade 9 student, Colleen Klassen.
This was exactly the response that Ken Toews, Sales Manager and Owner of Linden Agri-Centre was hoping to receive. “Linden Agri-Centre finds value in sharing their passion for agriculture to students,” said Toews, “We hope students will see a wide variety of jobs and careers that are available in the agriculture sector through their experience at Linden Agri-Centre.”
“Students in the Tri-Campus Schools: Acme, Carbon, and Dr. Elliott in Linden, are better prepared to make the most of their high school program because they enter into it well-informed about the possibilities and have a clearer idea of where they want their education to take them,” says Principal Kurt Ratzlaff.
In Career Connections, students gain a competitive advantage in a growing and globalized labour force while also developing an entrepreneurial mindset. Because our students are strongly encouraged to actively seek out and embark on unique learning opportunities in their local context, they see unlimited possibilities for learning in the world around them. With a deeply rooted history of innovation and excellence, strong community partnerships foster the development of valuable transferable skills. Our students are empowered with the mindsets and competencies needed to design their own pathways to the future. And it looks bright!
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If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Cathy Price at (403) 546-3863 or email at Cathy.Price@ghsd75.ca.
