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Students head to work

Abbotsford students gain experience in a wide variety of work environments during ‘Take Our Kids to Work’ day on Nov. 5

About 1,100 Grade 9 students from the Abbotsford School District participated in this year’s “Take Our Kids to Work” (TOKTW) day, held Nov. 5.

TOKTW is an annual national program in which Grade 9 (or equivalent) students are hosted by parents, friends, relatives and volunteers at work-places across the country every November.

The program supports career development by helping students connect school, the world of work, and their own futures. The program began in 1994 in the Greater Toronto area. Students across Canada, from Nunavut to Newfoundland now participate in the program.

Abbotsford students were able to gain experience in a wide variety of work environments.

Work experience placements ranged from a medical transfer service, eye surgery clinic, RCMP headquarters, Vancouver Fire Department, Abbotsford School District, Langley Memorial Hospital, various farms, and Transport Canada, among others.

Students could then detail their experiences and enter to win a prize of an iPad Mini.

Zoe Vassalos, a Grade 9 student at W.J. Mouat secondary won the district grand prize for a video of her experience at a medical transfer service.

The Abbotsford TOKTW Day is organizing by the district’s Career Programs.

Research suggests that today’s students will have multiple careers over the span of their working years. To be successful, they will need to master both new technologies and complex social and organizational systems.

Spending a ‘day in the life’ of a profession or workplace is a fun and fascinating way to explore the world of work, think about career options, and make informed educational decisions. For more information regarding the Learning Partnership’s ‘TOKWD’, see www.thelearningpartnership.ca/what-we-do/student-programs/take-our-kids-to-work.