Every young person has gifts and talents to offer the world

But in our rapidly changing world, youth face a greater challenge than ever determining how to translate them into a satisfying career path.

Our goal is that every young person in Waterloo Region can build their path to fulfilling careers. Through our work, young people:

See new possibilities
Feel more positive about their future
Take control of their career development

Explore Your Future Speaker Series

Career readiness goes beyond just dreaming about your future profession—it’s a journey filled with questions and choices. Join us for our exciting new speaker series, where young people can connect with professionals who have navigated similar paths.

Learn more and register for our first event here

Explore Your Future Speaker Series

Learn more and register for our first event here

Our Mission

We empower youth to explore and prepare for the world of work in partnership with their parents, educators and our local workforce. Research shows that youth who participate in career guidance activities experience lower levels of unemployment, earn higher wages and are happier in their careers as adults, especially when they connect directly with members of the workforce. By guiding youth to make informed decisions about their future, we strengthen our community’s workforce and wellbeing.

Learn more about us

Larry Kelly

Educator

“As a teacher of Careers, Civics, and Healthy Active Living courses, I can say that the BEP program has enhanced each of my classes with quality guest speakers in an easy-to-use program. Thank you BEP for your time and energy toward bringing the community into my school!”

Educators, Start Here

Anonymous

Parent

“The electrical engineer we spoke with at WalterFedy was great. The openness for sharing why he chose the field, high school classes that he took, why he loves his job, and the opportunities sparked excitement. My son left that conversation and said, ‘This is what I want to do.’”

Youth/Families, Start Here

Stephanie Soulis

Business Owner

“The Business & Education Partnership is a great way for me to let students know what jobs are out there, and what industries are out there, that they might not have even thought about as a job.”

Organizations and Community Members, Start Here

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Looking for a speaker?

Introducing your class to a real-life industry professional can be a life-changing experience! Students benefit from learning about new career possibilities, asking pertinent questions and identifying steps they can take towards developing and achieving their own career goals.

Learn more and request a speaker

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Real world work experiences and insights for teens

Experiential Learning provides opportunities for grade 7 - 12 students to participate in rich learning experiences connected to a community outside school; reflecting on those experiences; and applying their newly gained knowledge.

Learn more about Experiential Education

Cooperative Education for High School

Co-operative Education is a learning partnership that provides high school students with valuable work experience while they are earning credits towards their graduation diploma.

See program details

Specialist High School Majors

The Specialist High Skills Majors (SHSM) program offers grade 11 and 12 students the chance to explore a specific community, economic or industrial sector to prepare for post-secondary destinations.

See program details

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program

The Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP) is a School to Work program that opens the door for grade 11 or 12 students to explore and work in apprenticeship occupations.

See program details

Volunteering & Community Service

Community service is a volunteer role performed by one or more people to improve the lives of others, make the community a better place to live or care for our world.

Learn more

Discover your ideal experiential learning opportunity

With so many experiential opportunities to be involved with, it may be difficult to know where to begin.

Whether you are a student, educator, business, or community organization, you can use this tool to find the types of experiential learning that suit you best, based on your goals and interests.

Use the discovery tool Learn more