One hundred and twenty Grade 10-12 students from all eight secondary schools participated in the Career and Leadership Exploration World Café, which took place over two sessions in February. The students connected with more than 40 professional women from a variety of career paths, including STEAM (Science, Technology, Arts, Engineering, and Math), Entrepreneurship, and Leadership.
Organized in partnership with the Burnaby Board Of Trade, the event was a chance for students to learn about career and professional opportunities available in Burnaby’s business community. Joanne Curry is the Chair of the Women’s Business Success Network with the Board of Trade:
There are so many opportunities in our economy, from sciences to the arts to entrepreneurship, and these events created an opportunity for students to see women succeeding and leading in a variety of these roles and learn from their successes and challenges.”
Moving from table to table in a fast-paced “world café style” of proceedings, the students were able to have career discovery discussions with each business leader. The professionals encouraged and informed students about their fields – with some students learning about certain sectors and careers for the first time.
Community partnerships go hand in hand with career exploration opportunities for our students while in school. Partnerships are a priority in the District’s Strategic Plan and the Career and Leadership Exploration World Café is just one example of the many ways Burnaby businesses provide opportunities for students. The Burnaby Schools Career Education Department works with more than 1000 Burnaby employers to provide approximately 2000 work experience placements to our students every year.
Posted March 2020