Future Now revives provincial career symposium
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/07/2024 (495 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
During the pandemic, with everyone stuck indoors and avoiding human contact, career development in high schools was an afterthought.
Students everywhere were concerned with simply finishing school in trying circumstances.
Career events that aided in the planning and projecting of future pathways vanished.
Photo by Adriano Magnifico
Remy Houle-Boonstra, a student in the new media program at the Louis Riel Arts and Technology Centre chats with Juliet Greenberg, membership and community Manager with New Media Manitoba, in the Tech Town space at the Future Now Expo.
The biggest casualty was the annual 20-year Rotary Career Symposium, which ceased operations and never returned to the career development landscape.
On May 29 and 30, the vacuum was filled by EventCamp Services, an organization which created the new and impressive Future Now Expo (FNE) at the Red River Exhibition Park.
The revitalization of the comprehensive in-person career symposium in Manitoba a couldn’t come at a better time.
Students need help navigating their futures. A 2024 high school focus group conducted by CERIC, Canada’s national career development organization, reveals that students need guidance and support to build work/industry connections and process post-high school decision-making, especially after the pandemic hiatus.
According to www.futurenowexpo.ca, the event hoped to “to attract students, career seekers, changers, or future dreamers… to discover a world of possibilities as universities, colleges, career colleges, businesses and more come together under one roof.”
The Expo`s 100 organizations attracted over 4,000 visitors over the two days, a solid showing for a first iteration.
Students and job-seekers were also treated to visionary speakers and industry experts on a free stage, including Olympic bobsledder Eden Wilson, a panel of former Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who shared insightful career stories, and DJ Kaptain, who shared the art of spinning discs and commanding a rave.
Some unique attractions – a Tech Town with digital/virtual simulations, City of Winnipeg buses from past and present, an M3 drone training zone, and an archery centre – offered hands-on opportunities for students to gauge interests and have some fun.
Red River College Polytechnic took up the most real estate, hosting an entire aisle featuring many of its 150 programs, along with many interactive demonstrations of workplace skills.
RRCP student recruitment officer Clint Thiessen was glad to see the return of a large-scale provincial career exploration experience.
“All students should leave high school with some kind of next step and the FNE offers so many possibilities for their planning.”
Mike Tocharchuk, an exhibitor from Bit Space Development, said “This Expo is important to help students and parents fill in the gaps of their knowledge and curiosity.”
Riel Dion, EventCamp CEO, was excited to offer “a one-stop-shop for students to connect with education, employers, and possibilities for their future.”
He intends to make the FNE an annual gig.
The career symposium is back ready to impact the futures of students once again.
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