For Barb Bowen, becoming a Board Member was a no-brainer.
“I got involved because I truly believe in what Career Trek does,” says Barb, who is currently the Chair. “I believe that we have to reach kids young to help them and their parents realize their career options.”
Manager of Special Programs at Manitoba Aerospace, Barb has been part of Career Trek’s board for years and has sat in on several Phase 2 Project aerospace sessions to see with her own eyes how kids benefit. The course culminates in a family night that has the kids setting off the rockets they themselves constructed. And when the rockets soared, so too did their confidence.
“They loved it. They were so excited. There wasn’t one rocket that failed,” Barb says. “The kids were just thrilled.”
Career Trek is unique because it gives kids hands-on experience, she says. It’s not about young people sitting through lectures. She saw how interested the kids were when learning about the non-destructive testing of airplane parts. They checked pieces of metal for cracks or problems that are undetectable with the naked eye.
“They’re not just listening. They’re actually trying,” says Barb.
She applauded Career Trek for successfully teaching kids difficult scientific concepts while making science fun.
Career Trek is also helping to create a larger pool of post-secondary graduates by encouraging kids to stay in school and reach their potential. Ultimately, more skilled graduates results in more skilled workers for local businesses.
“We have a skill shortage and we’re facing an even larger skill shortage in the near future. One of the reasons I really like Career Trek is because it grows the post-secondary pie, which is what our society needs,” she says.
It helps that Career Trek keeps young people engaged over several years by inviting Phase 1 Program graduates to come back for the Phase 2 Project, then become Junior Staff Members and eventually Instructors. “It’s one thing to do an intervention in Grade 5 and 6 then just drop it. But Career Trek makes a concerted effort to re-engage them along their journey,” Barb says.