Local businesses say career fair beneficial to students
By Mark Squibb
The Rotary Club of Conception Bay South— in conjunction with the Holy Spirt High Interact Club and Career Development teachers— recently hosted their 6th annual Holy Spirit High Career Fair.
Over 50 professionals from all walks of life volunteered to spend the day meeting with students and answering questions relative to their career paths.
“I thought it was a fantastic experience,” said Conception Bay South based speech pathologist Nancy Eason. “It offered a great opportunity for students to take a glimpse into a wide range of career possibilities. I thought it was really inspiring to see many young minds that were eager to learn and ask really inspiring questions. I even had a lot of students share their own personal interests and dreams, and so it was neat to see their perspective.”
She said fairs such as the one put off at Holy Spirit offer students a broad overview of different career options.
Eason said the students were surprised to learn how diverse the field of speech pathology really is. Aside from teaching others to communicate, which is probably what most of us think of when we think of speech pathology, pathologists also help people who have been diagnosed with dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing.
She said there is big need for speech language pathologists in the province, and that pathologists can choose to work either in public health facilities or in private clinics.
“With the increasing wait lists that come with publicly funded services, the private sector is a really nice option to help bridge that gap for families needing the services sooner than they’re able to avail of them publicly,” said Eason.
Students who wish to one day become a speech pathologist must earn a master’s degree.
“I always tell people that it’s really important, when choosing a bachelor’s degree, to make sure you select a degree that allows you to meet the entry requirements for the master’s program or programs that you intend to apply for,” said Eason.
Speech pathologists must also take an Entry-to-Practise Exam and become licensesd to work in the province.
One profession that students have requested information on time and time again is that of tattoo artistry.
To that end, Fred Sharpe of the Collective Tattoo Company in Paradise has attended all, or at least nearly all, of the career fairs that the school has hosted over the last six years.
“Tattooing is something that students have specifically requested to have as part of the career fair,” said Sharpe. “Interacting with these kids is exciting. And we give them a bit of ‘hands-on’ training and have them tattooing honeydew melons, and they have a great time doing it.”
Sharpe allowed tattooing can be a difficult career to break into as few schools offer courses on tattooing. Instead, most artists learn the tricks of the trade from an older, more experienced artist, establishing a sort of “apprentice and mentor” relationship.
Some tattoo artists work together as a collective, while others prefer to break out and start their own business.
Sharpe, a self-taught artist, has been in the business for many a year. He was his own first client, giving himself a tattoo as a young fellow.
Matt Sibley of Advanced Access Engineering said the experience was great for students and businesses alike.
“One of the guys came back to our booth about three times, and so he had an obvious interest,” said Sibley. “He had thought about certain kinds of engineering, and so I think he thought a business like ours was quite interesting, because we offer a lot of different services.”
Advanced Access Engineering specialises in surveying and inspection services. The business is geared mainly towards an industrial clientele, from mining sites to the offshore industry.
Most employees have an engineering or trades background. In some instances, the company has helped workers with training and certification to better fit the business.
Sibley said they make an effort to hire locally.