U of M Teacher Candidates Wanted
University of Manitoba graduating education students demonstrate the value of their education in teaching and non-teaching positions at Education Exposition 2012.
Soon-to-be Bachelor of Education graduates will have the opportunity to make big impressions on hiring personnel at the Education Student Council (EdSC), Education Exposition 2012 (Ed Expo) on January 30th – February 1st. On January 30th, 35 schools, divisions, and businesses will set up booths in order to meet the University of Manitoba teacher candidates. In addition, on January 31st and February 1st students will have the rare opportunity to practice their interview skills with school and division hiring personnel.
In recent years, the competitive job market has contributed to a decline of Ed Expo participation by the schools and school divisions of Winnipeg; however, Ed Expo 2012 is happy to see a renewed interest in this important career event by urban hiring personnel. In addition, the Faculty of Education is pleased to see that students will have the opportunity to meet organizations that value the transferable skills that teacher candidates develop in the Bachelor of Education Program.
Transferable skills teacher candidates learn include: Leadership, organizational, management, communication, and administrative skills. In addition teachers must posses high levels of creativity and the ability to problem solve and adapt to changing circumstances. These skills lend themselves well to many fields, including law enforcement. As a result, Ed Expo welcomes the participation of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) who will be looking for students to become officers, civilian members, and public service employees.
Ed Expo Chairs, Kris Drohomereski and Kyla Michalski explain that, “Our experience through the Faculty of Education has shown us that the job market is ever changing. Teacher candidates are beginning to look at alternative and new teaching opportunities. We hope to make Education Exposition reflect these opportunities throughout the province and beyond.”
Dr. David Mandzuk, Associate Dean of the Bachelor of Education Program, recognizes that not all students who leave the Faculty of Education are hired as teachers, but that all B.Ed. graduates have gained important professional skills that can benefit them in a multitude of ways. “Annually we graduate nearly 280 teachers, and through reports created by the department of Manitoba Education, we recognize that approximately 73% of our students do find employment in Kindergarten – Grade 12 settings, but that over 25% do not. As a professional program we hope that all of our teacher candidates find success and we are pleased that non-educational organizations see the value of the skills that teachers can bring to their places of business.”
During the two-days of interviews, students will practice their interview skills exclusively with three schools and/or school divisions from around the province, including several First Nations schools. During these meetings, students will have the chance to demonstrate how they fit into a school division’s culture. Likewise, the school divisions will have the opportunity to showcase themselves to the students.
Education Exposition 2012 will host dozens of local and out-of-province school divisions and independent schools. Students can expect a strong mix of opportunities helping them to find a school that is the perfect fit for them!
The first day of Ed Expo is an information day that will take place on the second floor of University Centre in the Manitoba Room (MPR) between 10:00am and 2:30pm. During the following two days, students will participate in interviews.
For more details about Ed Expo please visit the Education Student Council webpage.
For more information, contact: Jackie Duhard, Communications Coordinator, Faculty of Education, at 204-474-7402