Practitioner’s Corner

By Jeremy Diamond

Kids Explore Careers with the Help of The Learning Partnership Program

Has your child or neighbour ever taken part in the Take Our Kids to Work^TM Day? If so, you know how it works: Grade 9 students spend a day at the workplace of their parent or sponsor host and gain an appreciation for what adults do every day. More that 400,000 students and 75,000 workplaces throughout Canada participate annually, but many people are not aware of the organization that operates this popular initiative. It is called The Learning Partnership (TLP). Founded in 1993 in Toronto, TLP brings together business, education, government, labour, policy makers and the community to develop partnerships that strengthen public education in Canada. As a champion of and non-partisan voice for public education, The Learning Partnership develops numerous innovative programs that meet curriculum guidelines by addressing themes such as youth and career development, literacy and youth, and science, mathematics and technology.

Take Our Kids to Work, The Learning Partnership’s signature program, has made an undeniable impact on over one million students, parents, workplaces, teachers and the community. The program helps grade nine students make the link between their education and their future careers by providing organized job shadowing experiences for the day. It promotes the exploration of a variety of jobs and what it takes to get there, and provides an opportunity for students to begin exploring their career options and interests in depth. Students go “behind the scenes” at a variety of workplaces ranging from large corporations such as banks to small family run businesses like flower shops. They also take part in health and safety orientations and learn to interact with others in a workplace environment, thus experiencing learning beyond the classroom.

The Learning Partnership sees public education as a cornerstone of a civil, prosperous and democratic society and encourages parents, teachers and businesses to get involved. You can play an important role as a guest speaker, in-class volunteer or job shadowing host. To learn more about The Learning Partnership, please call 416-481-0799 and visit www.thelearningpartnership.ca/.

By Sheila Mulhern and Peter Rattan

Employment Connects For You – A Great Networking Event

The Centre for Education and Training Employment Connections For You event at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre was a wonderful networking opportunity for Employment Counsellors that often need to make referrals for their clients. It was a pleasure to match a voice to a face and also elaborate on a flyer or brochure that one may not have had a chance to review. My observations, as a participant working at a booth, was the general public inquired not only for themselves, but their friends and family to determine which agency suited their needs. Initially it was frustrating speaking with individuals who appeared not to fit the eligibility or criteria of a variety of known services. Where do they go? I quickly realized all I had to do was lean over and ask my neighbours in the booth next door, somebody is bound to know. The event was truly a one-stop shopping centre for individuals looking for agencies to accommodate their needs. It was also an educational opportunity for participants, who live and breathe their own agency, sometimes forgetting the diverse services offered by other agencies; one often needs to look outside to reflect on their own work. As an aside, it was an unintentional “job fair” for those seeking employment opportunities in this industry…a networkers dream!

Sheila Mulhern and Peter Rattan are Employment Counsellors at the ALDERCentre, an agency that assists individuals with Learning dis-Abilities find suitable employment and secure workplace accommodations. They can be contacted at Sheila@aldercentre.org and Peter@aldercentre.org.