Field trip to Careers Expo

Feedback from students after trip to Careers Expo

Overview of the Initiative:
Taking all Year 12 and 13s to the Careers Expo then seeking their feedback with a short online questionnaire. As the hiring of 7 buses for transportation is costly, it was good to get feedback to see if the effort was worthwhile.

Resources Used:
Preparation for the Careers Expo sent by email to all students a week before. Whānau teachers asked to go over this information too. ‘Leaving School’ Magazine distributed through whānau teachers. Students taken to Expo for one and a half hours. Microsoft Form for feedback

Outcome:
Many students discovered courses or programmes they didn’t previously know or had not considered. Some found work/study options that suited them. They liked speaking with providers who had more in-depth knowledge of their programmes. They learnt about career pathways beyond study too. 99% said highly valuable in the questionnaire.

School covered the cost of the transportation and the Expo was free. Staff encouraged participation. We also asked students if they had used the CareerWise website recently in the survey, to encourage its use.

Staff were very supportive and positive, and we provided them with coffee.

Challenges were time, organisation, and cost—it is a big commitment to facilitate something like this.Costs were absorbed by the school. Expensive to hire 7 buses but a short distance to the venue.

Recommend to trial it with one year level to start. Maybe ask students to get there themselves and provide transport back. Give parents the option to join their sons and daughters.

It initiated a lot of conversations between staff and students and follow ups with students and their parents. I had a few more emails after the event.