Last week, students at Sands Secondary gained valuable insight into more than 20 careers thanks to a Career Fair hosted by Sands in partnership with the Rotary Club of North Delta.
Experts from a variety of fields including cybersecurity, plumbing, real estate, digital marketing, policing and respiratory therapy were on hand to share what it was like to work in their profession, including the skills and knowledge required, and the favourite parts of their role.
"Many students have no idea of what they want to do after high school, so events like this really help to give them ideas and inspiration for what their future might look like. With course planning happening soon, it's so important that students gain exposure to the different career paths available to them so they can pick the best courses to help them achieve their goals," said Julie Sansregret, Career and Post Secondary Advisor, Sands Secondary.
Most of the professionals present were approached to take part by members of the Rotary Club of North Delta.
"Our aim is to help enhance the quality of life for people in our community, so we are always looking for initiatives that help us achieve that," said Jon Marks, President, Rotary Club of North Delta. "We are particularly interested in investing in youth. We held a similar event at Seaquam Secondary a couple of years ago. This event involved a broader scope of professionals and holding it during the school day made it easy for students to attend. I was thrilled to see so many students participate. We feel such events are so beneficial in adding to students' development and helping them to make decisions about their future."
The district's Coordinator of Student Options and Opportunities, Lisa Chapieski, created handouts for each profession represented that included a career overview from WorkBC that contained information on key duties, annual earnings/hourly rate, and the skills, education and training required.
The event was a huge hit with students.
"The event was fun and very interesting. It showcased a variety of interesting careers and even included a cool display of CPR." - Oakly, a Grade 12 student who plans to work in either CADD, architecture or structural drafting, or train a paramedic. Oakly is currently enrolled in the dual credit CADD program, taking courses at KPU while still in high school, with tuition covered by the Delta School District. If students are interested in applying for this opportunity, they should see their school Career Program Facilitator, as applications are happening right now.
"My dad is a firefighter and I'm inspired to follow that career path myself." - Kowen, Grade 12 student who plans to go to BCIT to train in HVAC before pursuing a career as a firefighter.
"I want to be a firefighter so I can have a positive impact on the community by affecting peoples' lives for the better." - Bernardo, Grade 12 student who has plans to train as a plumber before becoming a firefighter. Both Bernardo and Kowen are participating in the Delta Junior Firefighting Academy. Students interested in applying must submit their applications before the end of February through their school Career Program Facilitator.
Many thanks to the following community members for taking the time to talk to students about their careers. Your support in helping students navigate potential career paths is invaluable.
- Digital Marketing- Daniel Marks, Course Hero
- Realtor - Leah Bach, Self Employed Contractor for RE/MAX
- Accounting - Aoun Hamdani, PH & Associates
- Policing - Constable Meghan Wellis, Delta Police Department
- Plumbing - Ryan Kular, The Pipe Doctor
- Software Engineer - Mahela Cooray, Carbon Networks
- Cybersecurity - Ish Rahman, Carbon Networks
- IT Systems Specialist - Neil Hogan, Mutual Fire Insurance of BC
- Electrician - Harman Randhawa - Wire-Man Electric
- 3D Modelling - Jason Dingelstad and Ryan Gast - Underhill
- Civil Engineering - Casey Wang - Marcon
- Paramedic - Kyle Cempron - JIBC
- Entrepreneur - David Wilkinson, 3S Environmental Ltd.
- Firefighter - Rob Cullen and Romayne Ciolfi, Delta Fire Department
- Lawyer - Lauren Sansregret, Boughton Law Corporation
- Family Physician - Dr. Mandeep Bal, Self-employed
- Diagnostic Medical Sonographer - Jennifer Lin, Fraser Health
- Human Resources - Daniel Sibey, Parkland Refining BC Ltd.
- Dental Hygienist - Anoop Jandu
- Pharmacist - Fiona Kwan, Fraser Health
- Respiratory Therapist - Stephanie Mckerral, Fraser Health
