Save the Date - New OSCA/ACOSO Webinar!
Tuesday, November 28 @ 1:00 PM
Financial Literacy & You! Taxes, Insurance, Money Management & Budgeting

Join OSCA/ACOSO and Lee Taal, entrepreneur and innovative CEO, for this session filled with resources available via Chatterhigh! Lee will lead us through the Chatterhigh platform to learn how to help our students take advantage of a number of federally funded, online financial literacy activities, designed for youth: "Learn About Your Taxes” (CRA); "Money Management and Budgeting” (FCAC); "Insurance Literacy and Me” (Insurance Institute). Attendees will learn about these and other resources, as well as how to participate in the bi-annual Financial Literacy Fest competitions, with $40,000 in prize money! Register Here

King’s University College is an intimate university campus of 3,500 students offering small classes, personal interaction with professors, and quality undergraduate degree programs leading to a Western degree. King’s challenges students academically with programs rooted in the liberal arts, and provides comprehensive student support services. An inclusive and empowering community, King's students flourish in their capacity for critical thought, articulate expression, creativity, and ethical action. Book a campus tour today to see why King’s is A Place to Be.

Nestled in the heart of the Kawarthas, Fleming College is a leading post-secondary institution with three distinct campuses, each with a unique educational focus.

The Sutherland Campus, located in Peterborough, ON, hosts the Kawartha Trades and Technology
Centre, which trains hundreds of new skilled workers each year. The Sutherland Campus is also home to Fleming’s state-of-the-art simulation labs and clinical settings, training future workers in the healthcare, community services and wellness industries. A new hairstyling program launches in January 2024.

The Frost Campus, in Lindsay, ON, is home to the School of Environmental and Natural Resource
Science, a world-renown leader in conservation, biology and environmental education. Many of these
programs are part of our Education Pathways. These Pathways link Fleming College to universities
around the world, enabling students to use their Fleming College credits to obtain degree, graduate, or post-graduate degree at a faster pace.

The Haliburton School of Art Design is known across Canada for its breadth of programming and art
education. Students can earn a certificate or a diploma in a wide array of disciplines ranging from
jewellery making, ceramics, glass blowing, painting to photography and artist blacksmithing.

Join us at our annual in-person Fall Open House in Ottawa OR Toronto! This is the prefect opportunity to meet our staff, students and community and learn more about the benefits of a structured and purposeful gap year with Discover Year!

OTTAWA
Thursday, November 23, 7-9:30PM ET*
Confederation Education Centre (1645 Woodroffe Ave, Nepean, ON)

TORONTO
Saturday, November 25, 1-3:30PM ET*
Centre for Social Innovation – Spadina (192 Spadina Ave, Toronto, ON)

The University of Guelph-Humber is located in Toronto on Humber’s north campus. Our seven programs are focused and offer each student work placement experience. Students who choose UofGH know the career field they are interested in, want a close-knit, supportive community and the benefits of a Toronto location.

On your own

• Visit campus on Sunday, November 19 for Fall Information Day
• Listen to program presentations
• Explore student services
• Talk to experts in all areas to get your questions answered
• Tour the campus with a current student
  
  Sign up and get more details at guelphhumber.ca/futurestudents/fid2023.

With a class
Join us on December 6 with your Grade 10/11 students for SWOOP into UofGH. It’s a day for skills workshops, opportunities to observe and participate. Your class will attend an engaging, faculty-led session (related to one of our academic programs), visit hands-on learning labs and tour campus.

• Choose from one of seven program sessions to meet your teaching goals
• Runs from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm
• Qualifies as a SHSM Reach Ahead Experience, or field trip programming for related high school curriculum
• Just $15.00 (including HST) per student participant; educators attend for free
• Price includes all learning materials, a swag bag and lunch

Sign up at https://ghswoop2023.eventbrite.ca.

Ontario Universities' Regional Fairs
Ontario's universities are visiting cities in Southwestern and Central Eastern Ontario! The Regional Fairs are great opportunities for your students to speak directly with university representatives and research their Ontario university options.

Southwestern Ontario: November 6-9
Central Eastern Ontario: November 13-16

We strongly encourage students to save time by registering for their OUEvents Pass in advance of attending a Regional Fair.
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Foires régionales des universités de l’Ontario
Les universités de l’Ontario visiteront bientôt des villes au Sud-Ouest et Centre-Est de l’Ontario! Les Foires régionales présentent une occasion unique pour vos élèves de parler en personne à des représentantes et représentants des universités de l’Ontario et de rechercher leurs options universitaires.

Sud-Ouest de l’Ontario : du 6 au 9 novembre
Centre-Est de l’Ontario : du 13 au 16 novembre

Nous encourageons vivement les élèves à gagner du temps en s’inscrivant à l’avance pour recevoir leur Passe Événements-UO.

There’s a lot of excitement happening in the college world: From events and tours to new programs and collaborations, there are many reasons to get excited about college this fall.

New Programs Available!
The start of fall also means colleges have updated their program offerings. This year, they’ve focused on in-demand programs to prepare students for collaborations with universities and exciting trends in emerging careers.


Speaking of careers, have you ever wondered how to get into unique fields, like cybersecurity, Esports or piloting drones? Below, you’ll find program topics with pathways into these, and other, exciting occupations.

Apprenticeship is a training pathway for the skilled trades. It’s like university or college, but there’s a big difference: along with learning skills in a classroom, apprentices receive paid on-the-job training. Sign up for a virtual information session on Nov. 7 at 11 a.m. to find out more.

Applying for college or university can be a stressful time for students. What if they don’t get accepted into the program they want? What if they get there and discover the program just isn’t a good fit? Ensuring a student understands they have options can go a long way to ease their postsecondary concerns. Ultimately, it’s their decision, but you can help guide them along the way.

This year, National Skilled Trade and Technology Week (NSTTW) will be held from November 5 to November 11, 2023. NSTTW is a key date in the annual Skills/Compétences Canada (SCC) calendar. The goal of this week-long event is to promote and host awareness raising events around the many career opportunities in skilled trades and technology in Canada.

Learn more about this week on Skills Canada's website.

Is your school or school board hosting a post-secondary fair this fall for your grade 11 and 12 students? If so, we would love to be involved!

We are seeing that more and more students are interested in taking a purposeful gap year after high school to gain work experience, travel, volunteer, and figure out their next steps after high school. At Discover Year, we help students do all of these things!

If you would like Discover Year to attend your school's post-secondary fair this fall or deliver an information session for your students, please get in touch with us today!

Finances may be what comes to mind when you think about preparing for retirement. While important, it’s only part of the equation. Depending on how much your identity is tied up in your work, effort will be needed to find what will fill you up after school’s out for the last time.

A fall 2023 retiree survey in the Carrick on Money newsletter published in the Globe and Mail revealed factors like focusing on health, family connections and finding day-to-day freedom should be considered alongside finances.

"I think a lot of people focus on the financial aspect of retirement. A lot of my clients talk about it after. They say they were worried about finances, and in retrospect, that they should have done more to prepare for this massive change emotionally,” says Cindy Brcko, a Toronto-based registered social worker specializing in working with older adults.

Feelings during the transition to retirement can range from excitement and relief to sadness, dread and everything in between. Whatever you feel as you retire, it can help to remind yourself that you’re not alone. And with RTOERO, you won’t be. Our ultimate retirement planning bundle for education workers is designed with you in mind to help you get retirement-ready with confidence – financially, socially and emotionally. Download it here: rtoero.ca/retirement-bundle/

Loss of meaning at work is a growing source of motivation for career change, particularly when it follows a significant event. A striking example of this is the COVID-19 pandemic, which has given rise to a phenomenon of "quiet quitting." This has prompted organizations such as CERIC and UQAM (Université du Québec à Montréal) to address the issue by funding a research project aimed at understanding how major upheaval affects the meaning that individuals derive from their work and their decisions to change careers.

As a society, we are gradually beginning to reframe the midlife crisis — and indeed any life transition — as a period of transformation and rebirth. Crisis then becomes chrysalis, where the best is yet to come. Applying this lens to our careers can yield insights and new opportunities, especially when the world seems upside-down. The ability to see unexpected and unwanted change from a place of hope rather than fear, and as an opportunity to learn and grow rather than to resist or deny, is called a Flux Mindset. Think of it as your mental muscle for change. You can’t control what’s happening in the world or in the economy any more than you can avoid entering midlife. The rapid ascent and power of generative AI has amplified these concerns. No job feels safe, no career path is certain, and previously "secure" professions may be under threat. Against this backdrop, how can we harness a Flux Mindset today in order to better prepare for the future? This article covers the key: how we see, and talk about, the shape and trajectory of our careers. Companies have an unprecedented opportunity to proactively craft new norms, structures and policies that could positively shape work for decades to come.

OSCA/ACOSO 2023 Fall Conference 
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US!

A tremendous thanks to all of YOU for making our first in-person conference since 2019, "Come Back to Get Ahead," such a success. 450 guidance and career educators, sponsors, exhibitors and presenters networked together, reconnected with old friends and made new ones. It was inspiring to experience the synergy, laughter and connections made at this year’s event. 

If you have not already done so, please don’t forget to complete our survey found in the link below. This will help us to improve our conference next year, when we celebrate our 60TH ANNIVERSARY!  

https://forms.gle/MoFC8iubxHjvtVPn8

Thank you as well, to all of the PRESENTERS who inspired our growth, resilience and wellness with their stories, strategies and resources. This conference would not be possible without the financial and resource contributions from our SPONSORS and EXHIBITORS. They keep us informed about the current educational landscape and offer resources to help us in our daily practice.  

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS

Platinum Sponsors: Naylor and Cambrian College

Gold Sponsors: ONCAT, Brescia College at Western University and Cape Breton University

Silver Sponsors: Carleton University, University of Guelph-Humber, Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, OCAS, Collège Boréal, OACETT, Tyndale University

Bronze Sponsors: Laurier Faculty of Music and Metalworks Institute, Ontario Association of Veterinary Technicians, Fleming College, Brock University

Special Sponsors: Ontario Colleges (who contributed to our bags)

THANKS TO OUR EXHIBITORS…

• Ontario Tech University
• Métis Nation of Ontario
• Attached at the Root Ltd.
• Seeking Scholarships
• Ontario Universities’ Application Centre
• Erin Mills Connects
• Canadian Forces
• Morale and Welfare Services
• AgScape
• mycampusGPS Education Consulting
• Forests Ontario
• OzTrekk Education Services
• Discover Year
• OYAP Coordinators Provincial Association
• Vancouver Film School
• Seneca Polytechnic
• Yconic
• Sima Health Consultancy
• Royal Military College
• St. Clair College
• Katimavik
• Université de l'Ontario français
• SchoolFinder
• Canadian Gap Year Association
• Office of the Ombudsman of Ontario
• Sault College
• Department of National Defense
• Prepskills
• Trades for Tomorrow
• Laurentian University
• Regional Assessment and Resource Centre - Queens
• Edutravel
• Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities
• Ceric
• Waterloo
• Wellington Flight Centre
• University of Nicosia Medical School and Veterinarian Medicine 

SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!