Future Now Expo grows student, exhibitor base

St. Boniface

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/06/2025 (355 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“I think I want to be a YouTuber, but I’m not sure,” Kingslee said.

“I couldn’t believe how many opportunities there are for jobs that you can do after graduation,” Domynique added.

“I’m learning more about myself and what interests me,” Cali said.

“This helps me be ready for the future — the obstacles, education choices, and prep for tomorrow,” John commented.

These thoughtful students joined 3,500 participants who took part in the second Future Now Expo, Manitoba’s largest career symposium, at the Red River Exhibition Grounds on May 28 and 29.

The attendees were a diverse group from across Winnipeg and rural Manitoba — some from as far away as The Pas and Thompson

They came to learn how 160 exhibitors from Manitoba, Alberta, and Saskatchewan could impact their future.

The Northern Manitoba Sector Council came on board as a major sponsor, with a full corner of the cavernous hall devoted to selling companies, jobs, and lifestyles in cities such as The Pas, Churchill, and Thompson.

Kathleen Richards, a Brandon University recruiter, said a “massive career fair like FNE allows us to expand our horizons to find new talent to bring to our great city.”

Winnipeg’s Red River College Polytechnic, a major sponsor, showcased over 60 programs, sharing a variety of try-it-out activities for career seekers considering different educational pathways.

A Manitoba agricultural hub featured many organizations and activities that caught the attention of Dan Kabasha, a Louis Riel Arts and Technology Centre student who proclaimed: “I had no idea there were so many agriculture jobs in Manitoba.”

Many exhibitors’ spaces offered a ‘hands-on’ feel for curious learners to touch or manipulate tools, play games, or simulate job skills.

Explorers manoeuvred a backhoe, shot arrows at archery targets, landed simulation airplanes, welded copper pipes, tried out military virtual reality headsets, and even created ‘slime’ for children. DJs worked the latest tunes, creating a carnival-like atmosphere.

Grade 11 student Praise Olayiwola, a FNE volunteer from the LRATC, appreciated the energy of the event with “so many fun, hands-on options to help anyone test out their skills and interests even when they don’t know exactly what to do after school.”

Career fairs are important spaces to empower youth and career seekers to explore their interests and skills and to ask important questions about what the future may hold.

They will certainly never find so many organizations in the same place at the same time working so hard to ignite their curiosity.

The FNE, an EventCamp.ca production, intends to return next year to build on a successful second edition.