The career expo is coming up—will you be attending?

 

By Laura Bohnert

Whitecourt Career and Education Expo 2017 will take place on Friday, September 22, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., at the Allan & Jean Millar Centre.

This year’s event represents the fourth annual Career and Education Expo to be held in Whitecourt.

The Career and Education Expo presents community youth with a showcase of career opportunities by featuring representatives from local companies, businesses, and industries. The event is intended to provide the youth with information about future career possibilities, placing emphasis on the variety of paths that are available to them in their own backyards.

During the Expo, students and youth will be encouraged to participate in hands-on demonstrations.

The showcase of local career opportunities is intended to entice students to make a permanent life in Whitecourt and Woodlands County, thus ensuring future leaders, innovators, and members of the workforce remain in the community. The Expo also provides businesses and industry leaders with employee recruitment opportunities; they will be on site to answer questions, provide youth with information, and hand out (as well as accept) job applications.

So far, 40 local employers representing different industry sectors have confirmed attendance, and 26 have confirmed that they will be recruiting new employees at the event. Twenty different college and university representatives will also have exhibitions available for the youth.

Members of Whitecourt and Woodlands County Council will also be present to speak to the students on the benefits of living in the region and working for municipal government.

An estimated 1,400 students are expected to attend the event from surrounding school divisions, including Hilltop High School, St. Joseph School, Fox Creek High School, Mayerthorpe High School, and Valleyview Hillside High School.

The Career and Education Expo has been funded by community sponsors, and additional funding has been provided by the 2017 Economic Development Budget. The event has been organized by Town of Whitecourt Administration as well as by representatives from the Living Waters School Division, Northern Gateway School Division, the Alberta Government, Woodlands County, Community Futures Yellowhead East, Norquest College, and Careers – The Next Generation.

For more information about the Career and Education Expo, visit www.careerandeducationexpo.ca.