NEWS RELEASE
SAULT TECHNOLOGY ENGAGEMENT AND MENTORING GROUP
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On Thursday May 9, the Sault Technology Engagement and Mentoring (STEaM) group and YouLaunch (a division of the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC), are conducting a mentoring event for Grades 9-12 students entitled –“Explore Tech – A Mentoring Event” (sponsored by Tenaris, with support from FedNor and Sault College).
The goal of this event is to inspire our youth to get excited about careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Students will have the opportunity to interact with a wide range of local professionals from STEM related careers, via multiple small group “speed mentoring” sessions, followed by a panel discussion / Q&A on STEM career paths.
This event is part of an ongoing effort to grow an ICT Cluster for the Algoma region. A key part of this is to foster the IT talent pipeline so that regional employers have a strong pool of future job candidates who have strong ties to the community. Exposing youth to possibilities in STEM related education and career paths is a very important part of this effort. There is no doubt that the majority of jobs of the future will come from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.
While that sounds like good news, there is an acute shortage of qualified applicants to fill these jobs. The students in our schools today simply don’t have the skills and desire needed to compete for these jobs, which means that our country won’t have the necessary workforce to fill critical roles in one of the strongest sectors of the economy. It's impossible for students to dream about something that they have never seen. Often students are discouraged from pursuing careers simply because they don’t know anyone who works in these fields, or they don’t understand what people in these fields do.
That’s why mentoring is so important, and is guaranteed to be an enriching experience for both the student and the mentor. This is the first of what we hope will become an annual event designed to connect local high school students with local science and technology professionals and move the needle towards filling these critical jobs in our community and nationally.
"We’re part of an amazing industry that is changing the way we interact with everyone and everything. It is going to be a fantastic day to inspire our young people to imagine, innovate and plan a path for their future.” says Susan George, Executive Director of STEaM.
“Education is the basis for growth and progress in our communities which is why Tenaris is proud to sponsor Explore Tech,” says Joshua Smith, Community Relations, Tenaris. “For many of theses students, exposure to careers in STEM related fields comes at an ideal time as they begin to think about post-secondary education and training.”
For questions about this event, please contact Susan George at [email protected]
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