News & Stories

ONFE’s Employer Connections Is Inspiring Female Students to Dream in Technicolor

According to Statistics Canada, the number of female students studying in technology programs at the post-secondary level is not sufficient to fill the need in our market. ONFE’s Employer Connections is working to fill those gaps by allowing students to explore their career options!

On May 2, the Employer Connections team visited Holy Trinity High School in Kanata for a special World of Choices career exploration event. Female students had the opportunity to discover the immense world of career options that await them by speaking with industry leaders.

Heather Norris, ONFE, Ottawa Network for Education, charity, Ottawa, Réseau d’Ottawa pour l’éducation, Employer Connections, Collaboration avec les employeurs
ONFE’s President and CEO, Heather Norris, welcomed students and mentors to the event.

Throughout the day, students chatted with successful women leaders in the tech industry and learned about the many diverse career options in STEM fields. A simple conversation can go a long way in sparking an interest in technology careers!

 

ONFE, Ottawa Network for Education, charity, Ottawa, Réseau d’Ottawa pour l’éducation, Employer Connections, Collaboration avec les employeurs, World of Choices, Tech, mentors
Attentive students listen to Heather kicking off the event.

Youth of course gained insight by speaking with mentors, but the experience was mutually beneficial: “I was humbled to have the opportunity to share my experiences and my career path with the students at World of Choices: Women in Tech. The students were genuinely interested and asked many insightful questions about the workplace in technology and the future career options available to them. I believe it is critical to teach youth about their career opportunities as they are the leaders of tomorrow—it is our responsibility to guide and help them. It is also important to remind young women, who are frequently discouraged from pursuing careers in STEM, about the importance of technology and their place in it. After all, technology plays a big role in our daily lives!”

ONFE, Ottawa Network for Education, charity, Ottawa, Réseau d’Ottawa pour l’éducation, Employer Connections, Collaboration avec les employeurs, World of Choices, Tech, mentors
Thanks to our mentors for sparking an interest in technology in our youth! Representatives from the Canada Revenue Agency, RBC, Foci Solutions, Mitel, Entrust Datacard, Kanata North Business Association, Carleton University, Pythian, Tehama and GAPC were on site.

Employer Connections is preparing high school students for tomorrow’s careers. Find out more about the program: onfe-rope.ca/our-work/employer-connections/

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