The Whitecourt Career and Education Expo began in 2014 on the heels of a successful Forest Industry Career Day. Recognizing the impact other communities were having with their job fairs, the Whitecourt Youth Career Advisory Committee wanted to branch out beyond the Forest Industry to ensure that students in Whitecourt and surrounding communities were fully aware of career opportunities in their backyard and the education opportunities available to support their aspirations. This event is open to the public!

A subcommittee was formed to include Job Skills, Training and Labour; Community Futures; Town of Whitecourt; Woodlands County; Northern Gateway Public Schools; Living Waters Catholic Schools; NorQuest College; and, Careers: The Next Generation. 

What is a Career and Education Expo?

A Career and Education Expo is a forum where students can:

• Participate in hands on activities and demonstration booths to explore various careers

• Gain access to skilled workers on-site to answer questions about specific careers

• Obtain career pathway information from on-site post-secondary institution advisors

• Access various resources to reach career goals (student funding, resume writing, training options)

There are 56 businesses and organizations in the local area who have signed up to be exhibitors this year.

The post-secondary booths come to us from the Educational Liaison Association of Alberta http://www.elaa.ab.ca/ (ELAA). ELAA is primarily comprised of Alberta post-secondary institutions including colleges (private and public), universities, university colleges and technical institutes whose goal is to provide information about post-secondary opportunities available in Alberta.

The poster for this year's event was designed by Shawn Kramer, one of our Hilltop High School students.  Shawn entered the successful entry into the logo contest as part of last year’s Expo, and the committee was so impressed with his skills that they requested his services to develop the poster for this year’s event.

Four of the five NGPS high schools will attend this year: Hillside Jr/Sr High (Valleyview), Fox Creek high school students, Hilltop Jr/Sr High (Whitecourt) and Mayerthorpe Jr/Sr High. Onoway High School extended its regrets as their local career fair is taking place the same day.

Look for our NGPS booth which will include a design thinking challenge to highlight the competencies and skills that are being developed in our MakerSpaces and Learning Commons.

You can follow the Expo on Twitter this year #yzuexpo!

Sponsors: Town of Whitecourt; Woodlands County; Northern Gateway Public Schools; Living Waters Catholic Schools; Community Futures; NorQuest College; Careers: The Next Generation; Millar Western; West Fraser.

www.whitecourtbsn.ca/expo.html

2015 Whitecourt Career and Education Expo