PFFNHS students introduced to a variety of job opportunities at school’s Career Fair

Tim Brody - Editor

Students at Pelican Falls First Nations High School were able to explore a variety of possible career paths during the school’s 17th Career Fair.
Themed, The Digital Decade, the school shared, “2020 is a new decade where careers are becoming more technology based and here at Pelican we our trying to educate our students to meet the 21st century demands to prepare them for the real world.”
Guidance Counsellor Shawn Hordy said the school recognizes the importance of technology in today’s workplace and the importance of preparing its students for those jobs.
“Nowadays almost any job you need to have some sort of digital skills, whether with computers or devices. Students, when they’re leaving high school, they need to be prepared,” he said.
“People that are looking for employees are looking for students with these skills so we’re trying to really curve our way of teaching here and get on board with Google Classrooms, and things like that to help prepare our kids for the job force,” he added.
“We’re just in the process of handing out Chromebooks to our students, so that way they can have access to their classroom materials at home. The hold-up was getting our fiber optics, which we do have now,” he informed.
Lac Seul Police Service Constable Tyler Gordon was one of the many presenters at the Career Fair.
“I think it’s a good opportunity. There’s a lot of kids from northern communities especially… It definitely gives them an opportunity to think about a career path in policing. With Thunder Bay Police, OPP and NAPS, and Lac Seul here, it gives a broad spectrum of different areas they can police.”
Christine Tavares and Ramona Quequish attended the Career fair representing Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Centre.
“I kind of wish I had this when I was a student,” Tavares said. “I think this is an amazing opportunity for students to get a hands on feel for what’s out there… it’s nice for these students to be able to get information that they need for their future.”
“A lot of the students that are here are students that come from the north, so having them be exposed to all the different areas available to them, from my own experience and travelling, working with the youth in the north, what they see in the community is often what they want to become, so having the opportunities to see what’s all available is such a good experience for them,” Quequish added.
Debbie Skanderberg, programmer for Sioux Lookout and Dryden Confederation College Campuses, was another presenter at the event.
“This is a very great opportunity. This is my fifth year attending Pelican Falls Career Fair and having all the wonderful students come through from Pelican, Sioux North High School, to be able to meet the students… and talk to them about their needs and post-secondary education and to be able to guide them if they have any questions, and of course make the connection, so they realize we have the campus in Sioux Lookout which is brand new,” she commented.
Mac Potter, Environmental and Community Manager for Treasury Metals Inc. stated, “It’s always exciting for us as a company to get out and talk to local students in terms of setting them up for success”
Sioux Lookout Fire Chief Rob Favot also attended the career fair.
“It’s rewarding to come out here and give the students some insight into what it takes to be a firefighter.
They had lots of questions about firefighting, what it takes to be a firefighter… We brought out some suits and they were able to sort of feel what it’s like to enter a fire situation,” he commented.
Grade 12 student Leah Fiddler-Duncan said the career fair was very helpful for her and other students who are deciding what career path they might like to choose. Social work as well as firefighting both sparked her interest.
Grade 10 student Seth Rae was still figuring out what he wants to do when he graduates, but said the Career Fair helped open his eyes to the many career possibilities available to him.
Grade 11 student Riley Kakegumick shared, “I find it really interesting. When you’re done high school, you don’t know what you’re going to be doing.”  Kakegumik added, “I want to become a doctor.”
Grade 12 student Camden Whiskeyjack concluded, “I think it’s really helpful that they provide this for us, especially when you’re in grade 12.”