Echuca Moama Beacon Foundation held its Careers Expo at Rich River Golf Club on Tuesday, May 21.
The event brought together nearly 500 students from Years 9 and 10 from five local schools, including St Joseph’s College, Australian Christian College, Echuca Twin Rivers Specialist School, Echuca College and Moama Anglican Grammar.
It also brought 100 presenters from 55 host companies from various industries to showcase the possible career paths open to the students and help them make better-informed decisions about subject selections.
The expo is one of the most significant events on Beacon’s calendar, and in previous years, students have given the initiative great feedback about its helpfulness.
Echuca Beacon Foundation project manager Cath Elms highlighted the importance of events such as Careers Expo for giving students a chance to evaluate job opportunities and careers beyond school.
“The Careers Expo is one of the biggest events on our calendar; the five schools under the Beacon umbrella come together to learn about different job pathways available to them upon leaving school,” she said.
“For us, it’s all about the industry engagement for the students and helping them connect with the industry and have conversations with industry leaders so they can learn more about what is available locally and how to get there.
“If they don’t have that direct contact with those industries, they won’t know what is out there. It might help influence their subject selections for their senior years and their thinking about their future.
“It’s a fantastic thing for the students because they get to understand what is available to them in their local area, but being regional sometimes, you’re at a little bit of a disadvantage because you don’t have access to these connections.”
Ms Elms was thrilled with how the students engaged with the presenters and the host companies, asking questions and having an open dialogue with the industry.
“This group this year has been doing a lot of talking and communication back and forth, which has been great for the students,” she said.
“The students seem to be really engaged, so I think they are enjoying themselves. It’s good for them to get out of school on occasion and to get into a different learning environment.”