Southside schools hold career day
What to do with the rest of your life is a question that all of us periodically ponder, but the question has more immediacy for those about to graduate. This morning News Five’s Jacqueline Woods went back to school to see what’s available in the world of work.
It’s the time of the year, when high school students from across the country are given a tour of the various job opportunities available on the Belizean market. The Career Day, which is usually hosted individually by each secondary school, today took on new meaning as the five high schools from the city’s southside decided to engage some teamwork.
Diane Parks, Chairperson, Planning Committee, Career Day
“One of the main reason for doing this is because we burden the business community in having them come at different times throughout the year at the different high schools. By joining together it means that they will only come once per year, at least for the southside high schools.”
Diane Parks, Chairperson of the Career Day Planning Committee, says they started preparing for the event last October. The Day, which was held at Gwen Lizarraga High School, attracted students by the bus load. Once there the young men and women either took part in panel discussions inside or toured the display booths outside.
Fiona Garcia, Student, Gwen Lizarraga High School
“It was good. They gave a lot of good information to us all, let us know what is out there waiting for us and how we should act.”
Kyle Westby, Excelsior High School
“Actually I think it is lovely and very educational, and it gives us a clue about where we are going.”
The Career choices were many and varied.
Diane Parks
“For the panel discussions we are looking at airlines, communication, trades, construction, engineering, all those areas. The panel is made up of three to four people in some cases and each of them talk about their particular area. Specifically they are talking about what are the educational requirements to get into that area. What the salary looks like because most of us tend to choose our jobs, depending on the kind of money we are going to make.”
One Career the students appeared to be most interested in is Communications.
Karen Itza
“I enjoyed the three lecturers. I know I have a view of what each aspect is about. I prefer the radio announcing because people won’t actually see you, but the voice and the way you get the audience is very important.”
Keon Garbutt
“I would really like to go into radio and television because I as a person, I like to deal with people and I believe I have good public relations, so it could be something good for me.”
On the other hand, students like Deanne Arnold were more interested in getting tips on how to start a business.
Deanne Arnold
“My goal is to be an entrepreneur, running my own business. Because I see that with a Bachelor?s Degree or an Associates, with a Diploma you still can’t find a job out there in the world today. So I said that with everything going on, I think that it?s up to us that need to open our eyes and see that we are the ones that suppose to lead the future by opening our own business and not depending on others.”
Parks says the Career Day was also very much a learning experience for the planning committee. While she expressed satisfaction with the event, she says there are some changes they would need to make next year.
Diane Parks
“Well for one, I think in case of the booth, we will have to ask that they set up from the evening before, because if all five of us is coming together, we really have to start early, so that the day does not go a long time. And in the case of the panel discussion, we may have to come up with some other way in which to delegate the students to where they are going without any confusion.”
Gwen Lizarraga was chosen for the venue, as it was their Principal David Price who came up with the idea of joining forces.
Reporting for News Five, I am Jacqueline Woods.
