Level Up! Career Fair Open House was held at the J-AAR Expo Centre from November 11th to 13th.
This event is a series of multi-day career fairs that bring together the best in skilled trades professionals.
One of the event booths manager said why this event is important to students.
Mandi Ropp (Credit: Emily Kim/XFM News)
Mandi Ropp is a Canadian Swine Academy Manager.
“This event is important to students,” Ropp said. “It’s important for students to understand the options that are available for them as careers outside of what they normally might have thought was a possibility.”
She said it is also important to try to promote trades and get more and more young people interested in these types of careers.
“We’re going to need these workers in the future. And if we all go get desk jobs, then they’re not going to be there.”
There is another event booth.
“I’ve been involved in boats for over 40 years, and water’s always been one of my passions, and so this gives me an opportunity to enjoy the career that I love,” Clean Marine & Events Coordinator Rick Legedza said.
At Boating Ontario booth, the students get the opportunity to do a quick compression test on this 40 horsepower Yamaha.
Rick Legedza (right side) (Credit: Emily Kim/XFM News)
“This event’s important to show the students what is available to them in the marine industry,” Legedza said. “This is an industry that a lot of people don’t know about, so we want to introduce it to them and show them the opportunities available.”
This career fair was attended by a variety of students from grades seven to twelve.
Most students said that this event helps them in their career paths.
“A hundred percent,” said Dainen Black, a grade nine student. “Because there’s a bunch of places here that can help you out, and they teach you about what you can do throughout high school to get into these trades.”
Mehkai Arnold, who wanted to skip class, came to this event by filling out a school form handed out by his technical teacher.
“I do think so because it gives you a lot of information about things you can do when you get older,” he said when asked if the event would help his career path.
“I’m interested in Canadian technology so I want to learn in this place,” said Sota Hashiura, an exchange student from Japan.
Of course, students weren’t the only ones who felt this event was helpful.
“Events like these make them aware of what careers are available to them, and how to access those particular careers,” said Christina VanBree, a Grand Bend Public School’s grade eight teacher.
Career Fair Booth (Credit: Emily Kim/XFM News)
One of the Huron Christian School student added that he learned a lot from this event.
“I would say so it gives me some more ideas. It gives me some more options, too,” he said.
The next Level Up! Career Fair will be held in Oshawa on November 19th.
