National Career Awareness Development Week Being Observed From Feb. 9-14

National Career Awareness Development Week will be observed from February 9-14 under the theme: ‘Career Development: The Vehicle that Leads to Success’.

The scheduled activities get underway with the national church service on Sunday (February 9) at the Boulevard Open Bible Church, 12 Washington Boulevard, Kingston 20, commencing at 10:30 a.m.

On February 11, a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) conference will be hosted at the Knutsford Court Hotel in New Kingston.

HEART Trust/NTA trainees and secondary school students will have the opportunity participate in discussions on several topics including: media, cyber security, climate change, health and wellness, and animation/robotics.

HEART’s Senior Director for Technical Vocation Education and Training (TVET) Development and Support Systems and Chair for the Week’s Organizing Committee, Dr. Marcia Rowe Amonde, told JIS News that the conference will provide information to empower the participants to make career decisions.

On February 13, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and Junior Achievement Jamaica will host regional expositions and an entrepreneurial competition.

The expositions will focus on career development and will involve presentations from industry stakeholders, and highlights of student-led companies.

Private sector entities are being encouraged to open their offices to high school students in grades seven to nine on Friday, February 14, and afford them the opportunity to function as managers for the day, in support of the ‘Take Your Child to Work Day’ initiative.

The activities will culminate with a creative and cultural Expo on February 14, which will focus on careers in the creative industries.

This event, which takes place at the Institute of Jamaica (IOJ), 10 East Street, downtown Kingston, is open to students, teachers and members of the public.

The week will also see the winner of the creative expression career poster competition being announced, and displays being mounted at all 14 parish libraries.

Dr. Rowe Amonde said this year’s theme was informed by a poster that was done by Akeem Crooks, a student of the Goodwill Primary and Infant School in St. James. His entry won the 2019 creative expression career poster competition.

Key stakeholder partners for this year’s week-long activities are: the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information; Junior Achievement Jamaica, HEART Trust/NTA; Kingston Creative; and the Jamaica Library Service (JLS).