Career fair shows students options
Dettah students fill Chief Drygeese centre for the seventh annual event
Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A smile spread across Yamozha Beaulieu's face as he shifted the truck's gear stick to drive through the underground mine.
Joseph Lafferty and Julian Jonas Tobie-Norn stood watch over his shoulder, providing some back-seat driving advice.
Go this way. No, back up, no, do this, the Kaw Tay Whee School students told their classmate. After he appeared to crash the haul truck, another student got a turn at the wheel.
The wheel Beaulieu was behind Thursday afternoon was a simulator at the Dominion Diamond booth at the seventh annual Dettah career fair.
The event was hosted by the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.
The booth was one of the more popular stops for students browsing the 33 separate booths at the fair, aimed at showing students in the community the various career options they could pursue after graduation.
"Amongst the kids it's pretty cool," Steph Jones, superintendent of human resources at Dominion, said referring to the simulator that drew a crowd of students.
Booths included mining companies, Canadian Forces, CBC, GNWT departments, Giant Mine remediation and others.
Rachel Tambour, the fair's co-ordinator, said this year the event was broadened to include artists, hospitality and tourism operations to show students there are potential careers beyond the big mines and government.
"We're trying to send a message out to students, we're encouraging them to stay in school and complete their education," Tambour said.
She said the students she saw took a lot of interest in the various booths, especially the simulator.
"It gives an opportunity to get jobs, talk to people and know what they're doing," said Randy Baillargeon, who was a drummer during the opening ceremony and was browsing the booths. Tambour estimated about 200 people, mainly students, visited the fair in the Chief Drygeese Government Building and Conference Centre over several hours that day.
"It's a really great turnout," Tambour said.
The event also included several prize draws for attendees and muskrat tasting outside the building.
