News release

Take Our Kids to Work Day Expanding

Education (July 1999 - March 2013)

There's a good chance a Grade 9 student will visit your workplace on Wednesday, Nov. 3, as a growing number of students and schools in Nova Scotia participate in Take Our Kids to Work day.

Across the province, 83 schools are participating in this national program, more than double the number involved in 1998. The number of students getting an up-close-and-personal glimpse at the working world is also expected to double.

Take Our Kids to Work is a hands-on day that encourages students to gather information through questioning and interviewing. It stimulates youth to begin to develop plans for their careers and to be aware of the kinds of preparation required for various careers.

"We want our students to see first-hand what it's like in the workplace," said Education Minister Jane Purves. "It's an opportunity for them to learn that there's a strong link between education and career choices."

As the program's provincial sponsor, the Department of Education co-ordinates school participation and provides training and resources. Teachers spend considerable time in the classroom prior to the day, preparing the students and helping them make the most of it. The experience continues the day after, as students are encouraged to assess and reflect as part of an educational unit on careers.

Take Our Kids to Work has three main objectives:

  • To offer students a view of the work world and to give them an understanding of its demands and opportunities
  • To allow students to see their parents or volunteer hosts in different roles and responsibilities and understand what they do to support a family
  • To emphasize that education goes beyond the classroom and that the preparation of younger generations for the future is a community responsibility

Across Canada, more than 400,000 students and 75,000 workplaces are expected to take part.