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From the Atlantic Region

Youth Ventures – Assisting Young Entrepreneurs

“Youth Ventures”, an innovative and highly successful program, is up and running once again this year.  It assists students across Newfoundland and Labrador aged 12 to 29 who are interested in starting their own business.  Through a team of 24 coordinators located across Newfoundland and Labrador, this program provides students with access to entrepreneurial assistance regardless of where they live. These coordinators provide assistance in coming up with a business idea (if needed), writing a business plan, developing appropriate marketing, and directing the ‘entrepreneur’ to appropriate sources of financing and mentoring.  Some of the businesses that were started through this program in the past now operate year round and even employ other students!

By Elena Pizzamiglio

Luck Is No Accident, Making the Most of Happenstance in Your Life and Career
John D. Krumboltz, Ph.D. and Al S. Levin, Ed.D.
Impact Publishers, 2004
ISBN: 1-886230-53-6

Career Development: the Next Generation

Career Development: the next generation was held in Toronto at the University of Toronto Career Centre on May 16, 2005. This small one-day conference sponsored by the University of Toronto Career Centre, CERIC (the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling) and The Counselling Foundation of Canada, was a huge success. Featuring a handful of workshops and two dynamic keynote speakers, this event attracted more than 125 delegates from across the province, much to the surprise of the organizers from the University of Toronto who had anticipated a much smaller number of registrants.

By Barbara Simmons

Grads2Work – Department of Counselling & Career Coaching, George Brown College

A week after classes officially ended in April 2005, George Brown College’s Department of Counselling & Career Coaching launched Grads2Work—a job finding club designed for our newly minted graduates. The selection process included completion of an application form and a personal interview. Participant selection was based on individual work search needs, group compatibility and level of commitment to attend.

By Helen Davies

As a relatively new student in the career development field, I have been exposed to a plethora of career-related resources, all competing for my attention. As an on-line student, I spend several hours a week tapping at the keyboard to produce assignments, and surfing numerous websites in the hope of finding the ‘perfect’ quote or succinct article that is lurking somewhere in the labyrinth of information we now have at our fingertips. It would seem that we are almost overwhelmed by the choice of resources we have at our disposal. As a result we often identify a shortlist of key tools and resources that seem to work for us and remain faithful to them over a period of time, until they become outdated or updated, or we discover something new, maybe recommended by a colleague.

By George Fitzsimmons

The most widely used career planning instrument in the world has been revised for 2005. The new Strong Interest Inventory is more powerful than ever, with major updates and new content that reflect the way people work today. Since the last revision of the Strong, in 1994, the world of work has changed. The newly revised version takes these changes into account and will help provide better direction to thousands of students and adults exploring their career options every year.

By Roger Sauvé

Clients need to stay informed about the positives and the negatives of the job market. Even though there is certainly a lot of turbulence out there, it seems that workers and especially parents are doing what needs to be done to pursue the lifestyle they want and/or simply stay afloat. The economy is helping.