Ottawa, ON, May 28, 2021 – Skills/Compétences Canada and Let’s Talk Science have partnered to engage students in career discovery and exploration in the Let’s Talk Careers Competition. Round two was held from April 12 to May 21, 2021, on the ChatterHigh platform. During this 40-day competition, students had the opportunity to discover diverse and rewarding careers in the skilled trades and technologies and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), while having fun!
Participating students from across Canada answered a daily quiz to earn points towards their personal and school leaderboards while exploring thousands of career options. The schools with the highest ranking at the end of this round won a cash prize, and the students who answered the most questions correctly in the allocated time also won personal cash bursaries! Participants were also able to use points earned in the competition to win draw prizes provided by the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC), DeWalt and Lincoln Electric.
The second round of the Let’s Talk Careers Competition had over 6,100 participants from 245 schools across Canada who collectively explored over 444,900 career and post-secondary pathways and earned over $25,000 in cash prizes. The top schools, who received cash awards, were W.J. Mouat Secondary, Scott Creek Middle School, Grace Christian School and Jane Collins Academy. Congratulations to all the winners! See the results of round two.
“Skilled trades provide excellent career pathways and options for the next generation of Canadian workers. During the COVID pandemic, online engagement tools like the ChatterHigh platform have become even more important in our efforts to connect with youth about the many exciting, lucrative and important careers in the skilled trades and apprenticeship driven occupations”, said Shaun Thorson, CEO of Skills/Compétences Canada.
“With today’s rapid pace of change, it can be very challenging for students to know about, and explore, potential career pathways. This easy and fun 40-day competition engages every student with up to 400 career possibilities! Evidence from past Let’s Talk Careers competitions is clear; it effectively raises student awareness and interest in diverse careers, many of which students had never heard of before.” says Dr. Bonnie Schmidt, President and Founder of Let’s Talk Science.
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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.
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About Let’s Talk Science
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.
Media Contact:
Michèle Rogerson, micheler@skillscanada.com, T. 613-266-4771.
