This is a one-day seminar designed to help Junior High students understand the importance of an education and the personal and economic costs of dropping out of school. Grade nine students are either making course decisions that will affect their post-secondary education, or perhaps thinking that a high school diploma will allow them the career path of their choice. Those students who attend ESIS seminars are encouraged to see education as an opportunity to broaden their life choices. They explore the relationships of the following four concepts:

Success - Develops a relationship between education and the achievement of personal goals

Independence - Identifies the financial costs of independence

Opportunity - Identifies Employability skills and their value for future job opportunities

Futures - Identifies career mentors and highlights possible career opportunities, planning resources and other key concepts in the program

Students will define success in personal terms, begin to understand the costs of living on their own, and explore the types of careers that match their goals and lifestyle expectations. This program is hosted in various post-secondary institutions in Northern Alberta, such as Grant MacEwan Community College in Edmonton, Keyano College in Fort McMurray and Grande Prairie Regional College in Grande Prairie. This program is also available in French for both Francophone and French Immersion classes.

Volunteer Committment

Programs generally run from about 8-2 pm and are followed by a brief lunch with teachers and fellow volunteers. Training and all teaching materials are provided by Junior Achievement to prepare you for a dynamic classroom experience.

Program Lessons:

Lesson 1 – Success: What constitutes success?
Students will:
•Define “success” in their own terms
•Link the value of lifelong learning (both formal and informal) to personal success
•Identify personal strengths/skills and interests in relation to job satisfaction
•Identify ‘present’ opportunities that can foster ‘future’ success •Discuss work/life balance

Lesson 2 - Independence: What does it cost to be on my own?
Students will:
•Prepare a budget for an independent young adult
•Realize the financial constraints on persons who are self-supporting
•Demonstrate critical thinking skills to reduce the budget
•Discover the difference between net and gross pay

Lesson 3 - Opportunity: What skills are important for employment?
Students will:
•Identify employability skills
•Investigate how they can develop these skills
•Complete a standard job application form
•Identify skills sought by employers
•Demonstrate effective interview techniques

Lesson 4 - Futures: What is my goal for the future?
Students will:
•Identify personal role models
•Discover that a career is a life long journey and set one goal to begin this journey
•Identify resources (people, places, processes, sites, etc.) for career exploration
•Reflect on possible career choices and goals
•Evaluate their understanding of topics and concepts addressed throughout the program