The month of October is not too soon for Grade 12 students to start thinking about what comes after graduation. That's why educational job fairs such as Opportunities Edge, organized by St. Peter's College in Muenster, was a draw for students from all the surrounding communities.
Recruiting personnel from thirty-seven educational institutions, companies and professional organizations set up booths in the college gymnasium on October 6 to talk to students about their programs or career possibilities.
Some of the students attending already had an idea or a plan in mind for their future.
A couple of girls from Naicam were interested in finding out what St. Peter's College or SIAST have to offer. Brett McGillivray is thinking about doing a two-year program to become a medical lab technician, while her friend Taylor Harding has longer studies in mind, four years, for a teaching degree.
The Edwards School of Business representative spoke to students who were interested in the Bachelor of Commerce degree, while representatives from the nursing programs at SIAST and the University of Saskatchewan teamed up to promote the two course choices now available in Saskatchewan for future nurses.
Some organizations offered training on the job, which has the advantage of being paid while you learn instead of accumulating debts from student loans, such as the Saskatchewan Construction Trades, or the local enterprise, Big Sky.
Located in Humboldt, Big Sky offers many options for employment including opportunities to apprentice.
"You don't have to have further education to come and work for us. We offer training management and also apprentice opportunities in journeyman trades, such as gas filterer or electrician," said Lori Rowat, personnel recruiting officer for the company.
Other students weren't sure what career path they wanted to follow yet.
Jordan Anholt, also of Naicam, was one of those students who hadn't decided on his future job yet, but was interested to go around to the different booths and hear what the recruiting personnel had to say. His friend Brayden Anderson hopes to become a firefighter, and was able to find out at the career fair how he could achieve that.
"SIAST does a six-month preliminary course," Anderson said, "and then I'd have to go to the Manitoba Emergency Services College in Brandon for six months to complete the training."
There were a few organizations present at the career fair that offered opportunities to students that want to take some time off before or during their studies.
For those who want to use their "gap year" to go abroad, AgriVenture offers paid positions to students who are interested in farming and agriculture. Students can work on beef, dairy, or sheep farms for four- to 12-month periods in a choice of six countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Denmark and the United States.
Katimavik is an organization based out of Calgary that offers a program for 17- to 21-year-old students to spend 9 months in various Canadian locations helping in community projects.
"Our program gives students the opportunity to volunteer in community development initiatives," said Nicolas Constantin, recruiting officer for Katimavik. "I went on a project with Katimavik myself, and I would recommend it. It's a great experience."
For the 350 students that attended Opportunities Edge, it was a chance to discover what an extensive range of career choices are available to them after graduation.
