From lifting boxes at Canadian Tire to helping care for cats at the Fraser Valley Humane Society, Mission Secondary School students are getting a head start on their careers in their own community.
Students in the school’s Employability Skills program are gaining real-world experience at businesses and organizations across the city, including Canadian Tire, Save On Foods, Rona, White Spot, the City of Mission and the Fraser Valley Humane Society.
The program, now running for over two decades, supports students with diverse learning needs by offering employment training and job placements that often lead to long-term opportunities.
This year’s class includes about a dozen students working across Mission in a variety of roles.
One student, Jacob, said he used to be more nervous and shy, but his time at Canadian Tire helped him develop new communication skills and learn better time management.
He said the coworkers are a highlight of the work experience.
“They're really nice and the manager is really nice,” Jacob said. “I used to not be on task a lot, and now I'm basically on task whenever I have work experience … so I really love it. I really do.”
A grade 11 student, Tyson, said he was able to transfer skills from working at Fraser River Heritage Park to doing work in his home life as well.
“It helped me learn a lot. I really enjoyed it,” Tyson said.
Another student, Beka, completed work experience at the Fraser Valley Humane Society. She said she likes cats, so could see herself working with animals in the future.
“Thank you to all of the Fraser Valley Humane Society workers and people who helped me and the rest of us,” she said.
MSS work experience coordinator Carolyn Chezzi praised education assistant Tatiana Popovici for advocating and to knocking on doors to help set up students with employers.
