It may come as a surprise to you, but only 44% of high school students in Kingston think that attending post secondary education is important. This is especially alarming because the it is becoming increasingly difficult to start a career with only a high school diploma. In fact, in the next 10 years, 66% of all new jobs will require more than a high school diploma.
Future U is a one time, 75 minute seminar which is delivered by our SIFE team in grade 10 classrooms. These seminars teach students the importance of post secondary education, by using realistic scenarios and games. Students begin to understand the cost of living and the advantage that post secondary education would give them in earning potential. According to Statistics Canada. an average post secondary graduate entering the work force will make $26,000 more than the average high school graduate!
We also discuss common barriers like financial constraints or being the first in the family to go to post secondary.
We are extremely proud of the impact this project has had,just this year we have spoken to 409 students. We used surveys before and after our seminars to track our progress and we are proud to say that 81% of the students who have taken are program want to continue on to post secondary education.
We will continue our efforts and we hope to see our impact grow in the coming years! We are also working to secure a bursary program for students who have participated in our workshop. Our goal is to provide a $1,bursary every year for the next 20 years!
