Career and Life Planning Summer Boot Camp Success Leads to Beyond the Bell

This summer, HIEC hosted 16 career exploration workshops for more than 300 students from school boards across Ontario. The Career and Life Planning Summer Boot Camp helped students in grades 7 to 12 discover career paths and develop essential workforce skills.

The response was overwhelmingly positive, with students and parents expressing interest in future sessions—especially for the VR Try the Trades program and Resume Writing workshops.

Thanks to this feedback, HIEC is excited to launch Beyond the Bell, a new series offering workshops during PA Days, March Break, and other school breaks to continue empowering students year-round. 

Workshops included:

• Career Discovery Part 1 and 2
• Journey into Skilled Trades
• Cover Letters & Resumes: the First Step to Getting a Job
• Interview with Success
• Discovering Post-Secondary Pathways
• Is it a Mission or a Major?
• Skilled Trades 101
• Utilizing Technology for Employment
• Mentorship, Networking and Employment Opportunities
• Career Talks with a panel of experts representing all industries
• Try the Trades! A new virtual reality (VR) program to experience various trades

Hear from students who attended one of the in-person workshops: Try the Trades!

“At Try the Trades, I learned way more about how trade jobs work. I had already wanted to be a plumber but had some doubts, and now I don’t. I learned a lot of things that I will talk to my guidance counsellor about next school year. I think this really helped my understanding of what I want to do in the future.” – Logan, Grade 9 HDSB student 

“All the activities were relevant and well-executed, I learned a ton. Everything from choosing a trade based on demand and what you enjoy to the salaries and apprenticeships to what it’s like realistically working in a team! I can’t skip over how we also had the chance to see what it was like to work in a trade-specific setting (within VR). Because of this workshop and the tools that were provided (pun intended), I’ve started looking more realistically into a career within the trades, specifically welding!” – Venus, Grade 12 TDSB student