Career Awareness Initiatives Proven to Expand Youth Choice

Let’s Talk Careers Competitions bring relevance to students, identify pathways to post-secondary learning and increase potential career choices

Check out this video on the Let’s Talk Careers Competition!

OTTAWA, Oct. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Let’s Talk Science and Skills/Compétences Canada, in partnership with Chatterhigh, are pleased to once again present the Let’s Talk Careers: Canada’s Most Informed School and Students competition to engage students in career discovery through a fun and interactive competition. Students learn about career and post-secondary options by researching and answering questions about careers, post-secondary pathways, and the labour market to earn points. Last year the competition engaged over 14,000 students at 505 schools across the country. Career profiles were explored over 1,600,000 times in the course of the school year, many of which were science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and skilled trade related.

Many studies show that regardless of the impacts of disruptive technology and the rapid change of the global economy, little has changed in the public perception of skilled trade and STEM professions. Many students are unaware or uninterested in pursuing these career paths because they do not know very much about them or think that they do not fit into the idea of what a “scientist is”. A report published by Let’s Talk Science, “Impact of Youth Career Awareness Programming”, summarizes the outcomes of various career awareness initiatives on youth outlook and preparedness for future careers.

Using data collected from participants in previous Let’s Talk Careers competitions it was determined that while answering the daily quizzes students only indicated prior awareness of the programs/careers presented to them about half the time:

• The highest awareness levels were about careers/programs in Education (59% aware) and Visual and Performing Arts, and Communications Technologies (59% aware).

• The lowest awareness was about careers in the Humanities (46% aware) and Agriculture, Natural Resources and Conservation (48% aware).

• Awareness about programs/careers related to STEM and Non-STEM was similar with 54% and 55% awareness respectively.

• Within the sciences specifically, students were most aware of programs/careers in the Biological Sciences and least aware of programs/careers in Engineering Technology.

The results indicate that better awareness of diverse career options in STEM and skilled trades, exposure to role models in these fields, and greater understanding of the value of interdisciplinary skills in post-secondary pathways increases youths' desire to take optional STEM courses in high school.

A video accompanying this announcement is available at:
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/de424ebc-deb9-4327-85e7-c7374876d42b

The Let’s Talk Careers Competition is a great way to get students in Canada exploring existing and emergent careers in skilled trades, technologies and STEM. Learn more about the competition taking place this fall from October 25 to December 3, it’s free and easy for all Canadian schools to get involved. https://resources.chatterhigh.com/lets-talk-careers

About Skills/Compétences Canada
Skills Canada was founded in 1989 as a national, not-for-profit organization with partner Skills Canada organizations in each of the provinces/territories that work with employers, educators, labour groups and governments to promote skilled trade and technology careers among Canadian youth. Its unique position among private and public-sector partners enables it to work toward securing Canada’s future skilled labour needs while helping young people discover rewarding careers. Skills Canada offers experiential learning opportunities including skilled trade and technology competitions for hundreds of thousands of young Canadians through regional, provincial/territorial, national and international events, as well as skilled trade awareness programs. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Skills/Compétences Canada is the Canadian Member Organization of WorldSkills. For more information, visit www.skillscanada.com.

Follow Skills/Compétences Canada on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About Let’s Talk Science | Parlons sciences
Let’s Talk Science is a national charitable organization committed to inspiring and empowering Canadian youth to develop the skills they need to participate and thrive in an ever-changing world. To accomplish this, Let’s Talk Science offers a comprehensive suite of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) based programs to support youth, educators and volunteers across Canada. Let’s Talk Science’s national office is located in London, Ontario with regional offices in St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador and Calgary, Alberta. For more information about Let's Talk Science, visit www.letstalkscience.ca. Follow Let’s Talk Science on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Youtube.

About ChatterHigh
ChatterHigh is a gamified online platform helping students to prepare for life after highschool. Students explore post-secondary and career options through a daily 10 question quiz or complete modules geared to help them develop necessary life skills such as financial literacy, mental health awareness and more. Points earned through answering questions on the platform can be used to compete in competitions, donated to charity and entered to win prize draws. The platform exposes learners to hundreds of career and education options, tracks their interests and helps them plan to achieve their careers goals in a fun and interactive way. For more information about ChatterHigh, visit www.chatterhigh.com. Follow ChatterHigh on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and LinkedIn.

Media Contacts:

Skills/Compétences Canada
Michèle Rogerson, micheler@skillscanada.com, T. 343-883-7545 ext. 509

Let’s Talk Science | Parlons sciences
Kate Soper, ksoper@letstalkscience.ca, T. 709-689-4303