FROM OUR CAREER TEACHER TEAM OCTOBER 2019 Student Career News Timely Career Updates “If you want to turn your life around, try thankfulness. It will change your life mightily.” – Gerald Good * Current Grade 12 Students This is an important time of year to investigate opportunities to help you make informed decisions as to your next steps following high school. Our hope is that self-reflection activities, experiential learning opportunities, conversations with your career counsellor/network of supporters, and information in this newsletter and on our Facebook Page will support your investigations. Your future awaits! * myBlueprint This is an online career exploration tool available to our Grade 9 through 12 students. Our Career Counsellors help students utilize this program to gain self-awareness, investigate life/career pathways, and set related goals. * Course Selection Process This is a critical time of year for Grade 9 through 12 students and families to refresh awareness of Saskatchewan graduation requirements. Your Career Counsellors and Principals can support if any questions as there are many factors to take into consideration when creating a Graduation and Post Graduation Plan. It is important to investigate opportunities available in order to create personalized Graduation and Post Graduation Plans. Being aware of aware of interests, skills, future goals, and becoming familiar with current Saskatchewan Graduation requirements are helpful. This Ministry document provides info on Saskatchewan Graduation. As well, details found in last month’s Student Career Newsletter will support the planning process. * Distance Learning Centre Course Options Our Sun West Distance Learning Centre offers a number of unique programming options for our students. An exciting new course offering is Agricultural Equipment Technician 30L. There are also a number of “dual-credit” programs which can help students earn post-secondary AND high school credits. Your Principals, Career Counsellors and DLC Staff can help answer questions you may have. * Youth Safety Education Day 2019 A shoutout to our Career Development Teacher Team who partnered with the SHSA during September to help increase awareness about youth safety at work. Participating schools received a certificate of recognition for their efforts. Thank you to our CD Teachers for your commitment to youth safety education. 1 FROM OUR CAREER TEACHER TEAM OCTOBER 2019 * Canadian Student Leadership Conference 2019 Our Sun West School Division was well represented by a number of incredible student leaders at the recent Canadian Student Leadership Conference in Abbotsford, BC. They made our division proud by stepping out of their comfort zones, demonstrating kindness, broadening their perspectives, and improving their leadership skills. Our future is bright! * Sun West Student Leadership Program 2019-2020 If you attended our Sun West Student Leadership Seminar in Rosetown or our online Webinar and are interested in becoming part of our Sun West Student Leadership Program, please remember to apply by the October 18th deadline. This year, there will be four areas of focus including Team Sun West, Youth Consultation, Student Tutors, and Career Fair Team. Involvement is an excellent opportunity to meet new people, improve 21st Century Skills, and engage in authentic real-world learning experiences. It’s fun too! For more information, please contact Ms. Kristin Sampson or Mrs. Vanessa Lewis. [email protected] or [email protected]. Occupation Spotlight Focus on Agriculture October is Agriculture month in Saskatchewan! Agriculture Equipment Technician: AET’s set up, maintain, service, diagnose, repair and recondition agricultural equipment. Important workplace skills include troubleshooting, quality control and critical thinking. Did you know our Sun West Distance Learning Centre offers AET 20L and 30L courses for students looking to explore AET as an occupational pathway? As well, there are Agriculture & Sustainable Food Production 10L and 20L courses available. You may be familiar with occupations such as agricultural equipment technicians, farmers, agrologists, agricultural engineers, etc. but there are many occupations connected to the agricultural sector. Explore opportunities and think outside the box when investigating! 2 FROM OUR CAREER TEACHER TEAM OCTOBER 2019 News A. Our Career Development LEAD Teacher Team has created a Sun West Career Development Facebook Page to help students/families stay up-to-date with timely information. If interested, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/SWCareerConnectors/ B. Sun West Resource Bank: Current and future issues of our this newsletter can be found on our Sun West Resource Bank by searching “Student Career News”. C. Campus Visits are an excellent way for students to learn more about a potential post- secondary institutions while still in high school. Please keep an eye on websites of the post-secondary institutions you may be interested in visiting. There are many opportunities, particularly for Grade 12’s throughout the year with many offered this fall. D. See Your Future Career Fair is being held in Saskatoon on November 4th and Regina on November 5th from 9:45am to 3:00pm. The target audience is Grade 11 and 12 students. If you plan to attend, have your parents inform your school and be sure to register in advance. E. ROADS TO SUCCESS Career Fair will be held for all current Grade 10 and 11 Sun West School Division Students in Rosetown, SK. Stay tuned for details. F. Post-Secondary Application Process for Colleges: For any students interested in applying for colleges such as Saskatchewan Polytechnic, the time to apply is now (generally speaking). For example, be sure to apply early for any Saskatchewan Polytechnic programs where admission is NOT based on a competitive admission. Grade 12 students can apply for these types of programs now. Failure to apply early could delay your potential start date by a year or more. G. Post-Secondary Pre-Requisites: Understanding pre-requisites can assist students as they select classes and plan for post-secondary education. Investigate and plan forward! H. Career Development Webinars – offered through 4-H. A series of free webinars on a variety of career planning topics including resume writing, interview skills, transitioning from classroom to the workplace, etc. are being offered on various dates. I. Saskatchewan Youth Apprenticeship Program helps students explore opportunities in the skilled trades. Ask your Career Counsellor for information on this awesome program. Benefits include 100 hours of trade time/level completed, waiver of indenturing fee, waiver of first level of technical training tuition, etc. 3 FROM OUR CAREER TEACHER TEAM OCTOBER 2019 J. Apprenticeship Credits are a unique opportunity for students to earn a wage and up to 4 school elective credits. Students must have a job working in a skilled trade under a certified journeyperson in order to be considered for these credits. Inquire with your Career Counsellor for information. K. Trade Up Saskatchewan is a website for people interested in construction trades. L. The Young Worker Readiness Certificate Course (YWRCC) is a mandatory requirement for all 14 and 15 year old workers in our province. It is up to employers to ensure their employees have this certification. However, many of our Career Development Teachers are incorporating this into Career Education and/or Career and Work Exploration courses. As well, some of our teachers are supporting students with Career Safety Education training. M. The Encounters with Canada program is Canada’s largest youth forum and can act as a career-investigation experience. Students ages 14 to 17 who are interested in learning and travel are encouraged to investigate a number of intakes. Participants travel to Ottawa and learn about Canada’s diverse culture, heritage, institutions, history, leaders, and contemporary issues. There are amazing themed weeks to choose from including: First Responders, Arts & Culture, Sports & Fitness; Science & Ecology, Law and our Justice System, Medicine & Health, Canada Remembers, Science & Technology, Vimy- Politics in Canada, etc. The cost for a weeklong experience is $750. N. Vimy Pilgrimage Award – for Canadian Students who want to learn more about their nation’s history. This is a fully-funded immersive educational program in Belgium and France to study Canada’s First World War efforts. O. Forum for Young Canadians introduces students to the exciting world of national politics and public affairs. Participants spend 1 week in Ottawa with 100 young leaders from across Canada. P. The Duke of Edinburgh Award Program promotes personal growth, perseverance, responsibility and service within our communities. Contact your Career Counsellor if interested in this program as there may be options available. Q. Briercrest College and Seminary: a. Campus Tours are available. Please contact directly. R. Great Plains College: a. Open Houses and Spend a Days are being offered at various campuses. Ex) November 21st - Swift Current Spend a Day, November 18th – Biggar. Register in advance. 4 FROM OUR CAREER TEACHER TEAM OCTOBER 2019 S. University of Alberta a. University of Alberta Open House is on October 20th. T. University of Lethbridge: a. Open House is on October 26th from 9:30AM to 3:00 PM U. University of Regina a. U of R 2018 Fall Open House is on October 20th from 9:00 to 3:30PM. This is an awesome opportunities for Grade 12 students and parents to learn more about the campus and program offerings. Admission on the Spot is available! b. CHANGES to Teacher Education Application Profile (TEAP). Students applying to the 4 year Elementary, Secondary and Arts Education programs as well as the five year programs no longer need to completed the TEAP. To apply, students must select the appropriate ‘Application Type’ from the dropdown list on the online menu. They will then select preferred program under the ‘Planned Program of Study’ option. c. The U of R and U of S invite students and teachers to attend What is Engineering? This session will be held in Regina on November 8th from 8:30AM to 2:45pm.