INTRODUCTION

Never have there been more meaningful opportunities for young people if they can zero in on careers that align with their unique talents and aspirations and contemporary workforce needs. At the same time, there is uncertainty and danger for those with no sense of direction or purpose. Young people in your life need your help to build a happy and fulfilling future. You don't need to be an expert on labour market trends or postsecondary training programs. You just need to find time to have career conversations with them. 

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COVID, with its massive disruption to education, has many parents deeply worried about what students may have lost with distance learning, missed exams, lost face-to-face social contact, lost sports, forgone graduations, young people at home alone or with you while you are working from home, etc.

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At the same time, the world is at a tipping point. People everywhere are demanding better. Think of the way the world is rallying in support of Ukraine, Me Too, truth & reconciliation, Black Lives Matter, LBGTQ Rights, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For the first time in history, 190 countries are digging in together on common goals to solve climate change, eradicate poverty, reimagine education, reduce inequity and injustice, and produce a sustainable food supply, in our lifetime!

 

The best hope for solutions to the big challenges facing humanity today is the generation now in school. Rather than just preparing them for exams, we need to get them engaged with the real-world challenges that need solving in our own communities and around the world. Their best preparation for the future is helping to build it.

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Like any of us, your kids want to be relevant, be heard, and be taken seriously. Whatever their age, there are things they care deeply about. Each child is different. What do your kids care about? When their curiosity, imagination, and creativity are engaged, and they are supported and encouraged, their young brains are capable of far more than even we, their parents and guardians can imagine.

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As parents, we are the number 1 influence on our children’s life and career ambitions, whether we realize it or not. This whole podcast series will be about how we can help launch our children on a trajectory to a satisfying and fulfilling life in a better world. There is no more important mission. We want to engage parents everywhere to help their kids, and all of us, make our world healthier, happier, kinder, and more prosperous.

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The co-hosts for the Parents as Career Coach Podcast are Kelly Hoey, Executive Director of the Halton Industry Education Council, and Phil Jarvis, Chief Education Reimagineer at ReimaginED. Both have dedicated their careers to helping young people imagine and prepare for their preferred future.

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Every week we’ll have amazing guests who will address:

• The learning process and the power of imagination and creativity

• The importance of love, support, and encouragement

• How to start fruitful conversations with your kids

• What schools are doing to prepare your children for the future

• Post-secondary pathways with the highest ROI (return on investment)

• How the working world is changing and what today’s employers are looking for

• The power of purpose and the promise of capitalism with a conscience

• The impact of stress and uncertainty on mental health - your children’s and yours

• Financial literacy and management – Teaching our children how to get money working for them instead of just working for money.

• The trump cards, empathy, and social-emotional competencies

…. and much more

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Kelly, I, and the HIEC team have already recorded several podcasts that are being edited and formatted with episode summaries and links to helpful resources and organizations. A new podcast will soon be added each week at https://www.hiec.on.ca/PACC.

 

The first is with Canadian career development superheroes Sareena Hopkins, Tricia Berry, and Dave Redekopp. They address the critical role of parents and guardians and discuss how to break the ice, the importance of listening, encouraging, supporting, and above all modelling, how to find career development professionals in your community and the positive impact of career development on mental health and stress reduction. This conversation is guaranteed to inspire you.

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They will be followed by:

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• Andreas Scheicher, the Director of Education and Skills at the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation in Paris. Nobody knows more about how education systems around the world are reimagining learning to better prepare students to be prosperous citizens in the new global community.

• Australian Montessori Ambassador, Super Principal, and Author of The Potential in Every Child, Gavin McCormack. Gavin’s powerful yet simple and heartwarming ideas for communication with young people will inspire you to have new conversations with those you love. or …

• Psychologist, author, speaker, educator, and President of PBL Global Thom Markham. He teaches educators on five continents how to incorporate personal empowerment and agency, brain-heart integration, creativity, collaboration, empathy, communication, and purpose at every stage of the learning process. You will hear insights from Thom that you can put to immediate practice, or …

• Will Richardson is the co-founder of The Big Questions Institute, and co-author of a new book, 9 BIG Questions Schools Must Answer to Avoid Going "Back to Normal" (*Because "Normal" Wasn't That Great to Begin With). Will shares big ideas and questions you can use to ignite engaging conversation with your kids.

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Watch for updates on the launch of the Parents as Career Coaches Podcast.

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