High school students from across Chatham-Kent got the chance to explore career options and meet with industry mentors on Wednesday morning.
The JA World of Choices event at the John D. Bradley Centre hosted 180 students from different schools in Chatham-Kent. They heard from five different mentors to gain first-hand insight into career options, benefits, and challenges in a number of industries.
"We have about 25 or so mentors from a variety of different industries and we're having small group discussions," said JA South Western Ontario President and CEO Karen Gallant. "The students got a chance to speak to five different mentors and learn about those careers in a round-table discussion setting."
During the event, JA South Western Ontario acknowledged receiving a grant of $154,000 from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to expand the reach of their financial literacy programs to Grade 7-12 students in Chatham-Kent.
The organization received the grant back in 2020 to expand its literacy program, which was created to help students develop skills to budget, save, invest, and understand credit.
"We got the grant before the pandemic, but when the pandemic hit, we had to change our approach," said Gallant. "We fulfilled our commitments and delivered those programs to 875 students in 75 classes across the municipality."
In a statement, Chatham-Kent-Leamington MPP Trevor Jones said the World of Choices event was a great opportunity for students in helping them build a strong and influential careers.
"This grant will give them the essential skills and development for a brighter future," said Jones.