Preparing youth for the future of work

It takes a village to raise a child. We bring Waterloo Region together to help our kids:

Better understand the world of work
See a positive future for themselves
Build a successful career path

Daniel Rampelt

Success Story

It’s not easy to make a career decision when you’re in high school. Learning experiences with industry professionals can make all the difference…

Daniel Rampelt

Success Story

It’s not easy to make a career decision when you’re in high school. Learning experiences with industry professionals can make all the difference…

Our Vision

Our vision is that every student in Waterloo Region leaves high school seeing a positive future for themselves in our workforce.

Studies with youth in Ontario show that the more exposure they have to career options, the more likely they are to be satisfied with their career choices. Unfortunately, 70% of Ontario students report not receiving up-to-date information about career pathways and job opportunities from their school, leading them to feel anxious, discouraged, and dissatisfied in their transition to the workforce.

We are on a mission to help young people in Waterloo Region better understand and prepare for the world of work, so that they can build their own paths to successful careers. We do this by creating career exploration, skill development, and networking opportunities between local students and industry professionals.

By bringing Waterloo Region together to invest in our future workforce, we strengthen our local economy and community. We invite you to join us!

Learn our history

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

OUR PROGRAMS

ICE Challenges

Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship Challenges help local students learn about the world of work, develop 21st century skills, and grow their confidence by applying design thinking skills to problems facing local businesses and community organizations.

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Explore Your Future

Explore Your Future brings students, parents, and educators together with local businesses to better understand career options that exist in Waterloo Region.

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Partnership Portal

The Partnership Portal is a free service connecting local educators to hundreds of industry professionals across Waterloo Region who have volunteered their time to support career development activities for students.

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Career Conferences

Career Conferences inform and inspire youth about career opportunities available to them in Waterloo Region, through interactive career exploration workshops led by industry professionals.

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Edge Factor

Edge Factor is a platform that showcases career pathways, training opportunities, and local employers to students, parents, and educators through the power of cinematic storytelling.

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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!”

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.”

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.’”