Making every day Career Day

Our mission is that every young person in Waterloo Region will be able to make informed decisions about their career goals and how to achieve them.

We accomplish this by bringing together educators, parents, employers and other partners to help youth in grades 5-12 explore careers, develop skills and connect to opportunities.

Through our work, young people can:

See new possibilities
Feel more positive about their future
Take action to lead their own career development

Explore Your Future: Careers in the Skilled Trades

Virtual Career Panel for Grade 7-12 youth and their parent/guardians, Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Explore Your Future: Careers in the Skilled Trades

Virtual Career Panel for Grade 7-12 youth and their parent/guardians, Dec. 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Why Our Work Matters

All young people have strengths and talents to offer the world. But as our world is increasingly changing and complex, young people today face a greater challenge than ever determining how to translate their skills and interests into a satisfying career path.

Without support, too many young people can’t contribute their full potential, leading to dissatisfaction, higher unemployment and a widening skills gap which employers alone can’t resolve.

Research shows that students who participate in career guidance activities experience lower levels of youth unemployment, higher wages, and greater job satisfaction, especially when they connect directly with members of the workforce.

By guiding youth to make informed decisions about their future, we contribute to a stronger local workforce, economy, and community.

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!”

Get involved as an Educator

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.’”

Get involved as a Parent/Youth

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.”

Get involved as an Organization or Community Member

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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