March is Career and Trades Month at SCIDES

March is here, and Spring is just around the corner. Doesn’t seeing nature awaken all around you make you want to try out new things and plan for the future? That’s great, because it’s career and trades month at SCIDES, and we want to show you how you can earn credit for your post-secondary education while you’re finishing up high school.

Before we dive into ways SCIDES can help you with career planning, we want to tell you about a few exciting events coming up:

On March 7th, 2017 TRU in Kamloops is hosting a job fair, and you can contact Robert French (via email: rfrench@365.sd58.bc.ca or 250-315-1210) at SCIDES if you are interested in attending.

The other exciting event is Youth Innovation Day on March 15th, 2017, fully integrated into the BC Tech Summit. Youth Innovation Day will inspire high school students, post secondary students and recent graduates pursuing careers in technology. Students attending will have an opportunity to experience youth focused conference sessions, explore the Marketplace and Tech Showcase, listen to inspiring speakers share how technology is changing the world, and gather practical information from all the post secondary institutions and companies that are hiring the next generation of talent. If you would like to be part of this amazing event, get in touch with Robert French by March 10th.

Now back to how SCIDES can help you earn post-secondary credit! We offer a variety of Dual Credit Programs.

Youth Train in Trades offers the opportunity to get your first year / level 1 trades training in trades like plumbing, electrical, or carpentry. It’s for students in Grades 11 and 12, and you can earn up to 16 credits towards graduation or post-secondary education. 

Youth Work in Trades is complimentary to the Youth Train in Trades program, and focuses on the hands-on aspect of trades training. It’s for students in Grades 10-12, and provides up to 480 hours of training, as well as a paycheque. You can get started as early as the summer between your Grade 10 and 11 year, and earn a good wage with a completed apprenticeship by age 22! You will also be eligible for a $1,000 scholarship towards your trades training. Check out the ITA website to find out which trades excites you most, and contact us at any time for more details.

The Work Experience program gives students a chance to experience the transition from school to work, in a compact way. 90-120 hours of hands-on work in a local business, plus up to 30 hours of course work make up a work experience course. Students can earn up to 8 credits towards their graduation with this option.

SCIDES also offers Post Secondary Transition Programs, in partnership with select post-secondary institutions. Students in grades 11 and 12 can earn (tuition free!) credits towards both graduation and college.

Enrolling in one of those program options is often the second step – the first one is to find out what your passions and interests are. Here are some interesting articles and quizzes to help you get started:

4 Practical Ways To Find Your Life’s Passion and A Career You Love

Try This If You’re Struggling To Find Your Passion 

10 Tips For Choosing A Career 

How To Find Your Passion In Life (Quiz) 

Career Quiz 

Which Career Is Right For You (Quiz) 

Our course Planning 10 - mandatory for graduation - will help you shed some light on your passion as well, but it’s always good to have a second (or third, or fourth) opinion and option, right?

The best advice we can give you? Take your time and explore. Talk to your family and friends, and to your teachers and counsellors at SCIDES. You have a whole team behind you who wants to help you succeed, and there are plenty of resources along the way.

Where will your career path take you? We’d love to hear about it! Connect with us on Facebook, or reach out anytime to registrar@365.sd58.bc.ca for general inquiries.