Description from the official event listing.
📣 Ontario Career Lab – Career Conversations for Students We are currently organizing a series of informal Career Conversations between local professionals and secondary school students across the Durham Region.
These sessions are designed to help students better understand different career pathways, local industries, and the wide range of opportunities available within their own community.
Through small-group, conversational sessions, students are able to hear real career stories, ask questions, and gain insight into what different jobs and industries look like in practice.Learn more about our organization:👉 https://hiec.on.
ca/ 📍 Event Locations & Dates (For Context) • May 6, 2026 | Pickering | 9:25 AM – 10:40 AM• May 7, 2026 | Pickering | 9:25 AM – 10:40 AM• May 13, 2026 | Oshawa | 9:25 AM – 10:40 AM• May 13, 2026 | Oshawa | 9:30 AM – 12:10 PM• May 19, 2026 | Ajax | 11:25 AM – 2:00 PM• May 21, 2026 | Ajax | 11:25 AM – 2:00 PM• May 26, 2026 | Whitby | 10:55 AM – 12:10 PM• May 28, 2026 | Whitby | 10:55 AM – 12:10 PM About the Sessions Career Conversations are informal, small-group sessions designed to connect students directly with working professionals from a wide range of industries.
Each session is structured as a series of rotating conversations, with students meeting professionals in groups of 8–10 for approximately 15–20 minutes at a time.During these conversations, volunteers share their personal career journey, education and training pathways, and what their day-to-day work looks like.
Students are encouraged to ask questions about career options, required skills, challenges in the field, and what different roles actually involve in practice.
The goal is to provide students with real-world insight into a variety of careers, helping them better understand post-secondary pathways, apprenticeship options, and employment opportunities available within their own community.
These sessions are intentionally informal—no presentation or preparation is required, just open and authentic conversation.Please note: specific school locations are not shared publicly to protect student privacy.Full details are provided to participants upon registration.
Get Involved Through The Ontario Career Lab, you can inspire Ontario’s Grade 9 and 10 students as a volunteer Career Coach by engaging in meaningful career conversations that help them explore in-demand industries, discover local opportunities, and shape their own unique paths.
If you are a local professional interested in supporting youth career development, we would love to have you involved.If you would like more information on career coaching, please refer to the attached flyer.Sign up here: 👉 https://ontariocareerlab.
ca/coachsignup Ontario Career Lab is an initiative of HIEC, a not-for-profit organization that has been connecting educators, employers, and students for over 36 years.Our goal is to help students feel more confident, informed, and inspired as they explore future career pathways.