Last week I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with young people in Canada. I was very fortunate to attend the Skills Canada Young Women’s Conference in Kitchener, Ontario and a Skills Work for Women! Networking Dinner, in Saint John, New Brunswick. These events brought together a total of four hundred young women ranging from grades 7 to 12, who were looking for career direction and wanted to hear more about what the skilled trades and technologies have to offer.
Women in Nuclear (WiN)-Canada had several mentors from the industry at these events to talk about a day-in-the-life of their career. Other female mentors from the community also shared their inspirational stories about their career journeys.
I heard many of the young women returning to mentors they had spoken to during the event and thanking them for their help. For many it is the ‘tipping point’ in their choosing and pursuing their career path.
WiN is thankful for the support our companies provide for us to attend these events. Many female mentors in attendance took a day off work and came on their own time to share their amazing, and sometimes very personal stories with the students.
Wouldn’t it be great if everyone made a commitment to go out and talk to young people about the many opportunities and careers available to them? Imagine what an impact you could make in a young person’s life if they heard you speak and decided Wow! that is exactly what I want to do and I didn’t even know that career existed.
Consider giving a little of your time to talk to today’s youth about your own career. There are lots of forums out there for you to participate in. Maybe it’s Take Your Kid to Work Day, Career Day at a local school or an event like Skills Canada.
The 400 young women I met last week were full of enthusiasm and intelligence and were so interested in what their mentors had accomplished. The mentors will tell you they get just as much out of the experience as the students.
So, get out there and find an avenue to mentor a young person or a group of young people. I promise you will be inspired by the experience.
Comments
Posted by Anne Giardini
As a woman in the skilled trades, I know that I am very fortunate that my company allows me the time to attend networking dinners, trades fairs, and also to attend the OSTC in Kitchener this past week. Talking with young women and just letting them know of some of the career possibilities is something that I enjoy doing and it is very fulfilling, especially when you hear back from some of them, or their teachers and parents. Thanks, Cheryl, for all of your support as well!!! Even with all the company support, it is up to each one of us to make things happen. It is so nice to go to these events and meet other WiN members who are sharing their experiences.
Posted by Cheryl Cottrill
Thanks Anne. WiN has a wonderful working relationship with Skills Canada and hopes to support many more of these events. It is important to provide young women with as much information about careers as possible and you, along with other WiN members, have done a great job providing that information with passion. Keep up the good work!
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