National Career Showcase for 8 000 students come month-end

By Shamar Blunt

Once again, third to sixth form students from across the various secondary level schools on the island will have
their chance to explore several options for their future academic pursuits, as the Barbados Association of
Guidance Counsellors (BAGC) is again hosting its 15th National Career Showcase.

Speaking during the launch for the initiative, President of the BAGC and Guidance Counsellor at St George Secondary School, Dr. Patricia Welch, said this year’s showcase promises to be an exciting one, with students being able to access information from various fields of study, including the arts, sciences, technology and more.

“This two-day event will focus on third year to sixth year students within our 21 public secondary schools, special needs schools and private schools.

“The showcase will provide opportunities for students to interact with professionals from 16 identified career clusters, traditional and non-traditional, as well as concentrate on the STEAM areas of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics,” she explained.

With this year’s theme being ‘Embracing the opportunities, expanding your vision’, the objectives of the showcase will include sensitising students to the various career options available to them, assisting students in selecting subjects at their schools which more align with the career paths they have in mind, and assisting them in meeting persons who currently operate in, or have prior deep experience in the careers that students have shown an interest in.

Dr. Welch emphasised that though many students may already have their intentions on focusing on specific areas of study, she strongly encouraged them to use the opportunity to explore other areas in order to give themselves the best options toward future careers.

“Those students are required to choose a maximum of three career clusters of interest, they have a choice from
16 clusters.

“I am aware that it is impossible for them to visit the 96 career booths that are available each day, hence I encourage them to spend the 30 minutes given with each profession where they have an interest, and then investigate the other careers.

“Students will discover that their vision will expand and be amazed about the possibilities that are beyond their original career path,” she said.

She added that plans have already been set into motion to provide all of the information shared during the upcoming showcase onto BAGC, so that students may access all pertinent information for any field of interest at any time.

Education Officer (Secondary) in the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Cyrilene Griffith-Willoughby, praised the efforts of the BAGC over the years in hosting the programme, and said students must continue to have access to new and innovative areas of study, in order to better position themselves to function in the modern workforce.

“This showcase represents the opportunity for our students to explore new possibilities for work and study, as they interact with educators and prospective employers locally, regionally, and internationally, with presenters expected to join from various parts of the world.

“As our country moves forward in these challenging times, the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, recognises that our students must be equipped to drive the workforce of the future.

“They must therefore know what new careers are on the horizon and be aware of avenues for innovation and creativity,” Griffith-Willoughby said.

Eight thousand students are expected to utilise the two-day showcase which will be on March 30 and 31, and will utilise the Microsoft Teams platform to support the several online interactions, with students being asked to download the programme prior to the event to make the sessions as seamless as possible.