Education & Its Relevance in the Workforce

Or, how do we help our kids choose their (career) path in life?

I have two teenaged daughters, one in her second year at UofGuelph, in science, one in Grade 11, here. So, I have twice gone through (well, almost in the 2nd case) the high school process of getting knowledge and choosing what to do post-secondary graduation -- whether it's more education, skills training, first job, etc.

You may not know that I have a post-graduate degree (M.A., English), but my husband, the son of two professionals (an RN and an professional engineer) simply graduated from high school and has received almost all his training on the job, or via the army (now a Capt on his way to becoming a Maj). So, as parents, we are coming with experiences from both sides of the education spectrum.

Anyway, based on our experience, I agree that although it may not seem like it, high school kids are introduced to many of ideas about how to find their path, not only through the Careers course (which is a bit "Mickey Mouse", but that's all that's offered by the Bds of Ed, which is also part of the problem), but also through occasional seminars, assemblies (for instance there is usually at least one in which a group comes in to discuss the viable options of skilled trades), and from Grade 12 site visits either from or to various local post-secondary institutions (often colleges rather than universities).

With my older daughter, we attended a university/college "fair" at the Metro Convention Centre, at which institutions from all across Canada displayed, offered info, etc., to the kids about to make choices. As a family we also visited 4-5 institutions in which my older daughter expressed interest. I imagine we're about to do it again with daughter #2.

This doesn't take into account the various things read and researched as well. So, I think I can say that, while there are more things we could have done/could still do, we have done a fair bit of planning and research.

Yet, neither daughter (nor their dad and I) feel we have a good handle on what jobs, specifically,  will be available to them and/or where they should really be heading with the education they are receiving.

Such things as NOC (National Occupational Classification) lists don't help -- they are only lists. They do not offer any info or advice on the viability of jobs/occupations listed, nor the educational and other experience required to do them. Guidance counsellors are useless -- their most often questions: "What do you like?" "What do you want to do?"

Neither of those is as important as saying "here's what you are strong in your high school studies, here are some of the experiences/attributes your extracurricular activities have added. Based on this, the aptitude tests (all high school kids take them in Careers), and the occupation info and trends we have available AT THIS TIME, we suggest that you might consider such education/training for jobs as a, b, d, m..."

I think this is where employers, HR professionals, etc., need to step in and say, "We are looking for individuals with this type of education, skills, whatever... and anticipate that the demand will be high in these areas (list them) for the next 5, or 10 or ... years"

My kids have watched their cousin (now 26) start and complete her education to become a teacher -- she started this 7-8 years ago, when it appeared there would be a demand for teachers... well, we all know what happened there (she has her B.Ed, BSc and ECE and still no permanent or even full-time job as a teacher). She has hope, but it will likely take a few more years before that hope turns to reality. Is it any wonder statistics tell us that young people live continue to live with mom and dad well into their 20s, especially in urban areas such as the GTA.

Despite having access to money saved via an RESP, working summer jobs and having further financial help from her parents (not much, but some), my oldest daughter, just in her second year, already owes over $16,000 in student loans ... when she graduates, tell me how much time she has to fart around trying to find a job that will help her pay it back!? (When I finished my 6-7 years of CEGEP, BA and MA, with financial assistance from the Quebec student loans system (where I'm originally from), which offered me more bursaries (don't need to be paid back) than loans, I owed only $5,500 (which I thought was low, even then in the early 80s) -- so the fact that I worked in low-paying/low-level jobs for the first 5-7 years of my working life did not matter as much.)

Check out this report on education in Canada from the Conference Board of Canada ... www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/education.aspx, which says, "Canada’s system of education and skills remains one of the best in the world, but needs to do much better at matching what Canadians learn to evolving labour market needs."

A Painter's House ...

...is never painted; a writer's blog is never written!

The latter part of 2009 hasn't been easy. Lost jobs, lost friends, lost respect. It's sad when an association with 60 years of history is tossed away ... no, that doesn't even describe it. Allies turned into enemies; supporters turned away. What a waste. But, maybe out of the ashes ...

With the coming of the new year - 2010, what a curious date - it's time to try out new things. My cousin Dyan from Quebec promises me some healthy lifestyle suggestions. I'm gonna force her to blog and maybe that will force me to do the same. Check hers out ... I'll try to add it to this blog.

First up is lemon juice and warm water (1 lemon to 8 oz warm water).

An Ending? No, a New Beginning

“Fight till the last gasp.” (Shakespeare)

At a special meeting on June 10, 2009, members of the Governor General’s Horse Guards Riding Club realized they had little choice but to fold the 60-year-old organization. For most of those 60 years, dedicated members had sweated and toiled to fulfill the goal of training and providing a social environment for a pool of riders that makes up the GGHG Cavalry Squadron.

Founded in 1948 primarily by and formed from the non-commissioned officer ranks of Canada’s senior militia regiment, the Governor General’s Horse Guards, early Club members acted upon their desire to maintain and perpetuate their regiment’s cavalry tradition. This tradition is well-documented in John Marteinson’s wonderful regimental history (http://www.rbstudiobooks.com/gghg.html).

At a buck at ride, they hopped on the “ponies” at 3-Gaits Farm, at Warden and St Clair Avenues in Toronto, and the rest, as they say, is history. It wasn’t long before they talked of resurrecting a cavalry unit, and in 1956/57 the GGGH Cavalry Squadron celebrated its first ceremonial, post-war ride. In 1959, it had the honour of escorting HRH Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at the Queen’s Plate.

Horse Guards on horses started showing up all over the place – at the Queen’s Plate, Opening of Legislatures, parades in downtown Toronto, Fort York Re-enactments, the Royal Winter Horse Show. In 1964, they accompanied Northern Dancer to Pimlico. Arnold Edinborough and Peter Gzowski wrote about them; artists and photographers through the 60s, 70s and 80s captured their image.

In the 70s, through the 80s, the 90s, and even into 2008, they proudly led the Queen’s Birthday parades, stormed Toronto Island with the Canadian Carriage Association, and led the way along University Avenue for the entire 32 Brigade of the Canadian Army.

But, in this modern time, the opportunities for big parades and ceremonial rides are few and far between. When Cav Sqn activities once filled the coffers of both Riding Club and the ceremonial fundraising arm of the regiment, the GGHG Foundation, since the mid-80s it could no longer even support itself.

Still, those dedicated Riding Club and Cav members persevered and kept the tradition strong. But, in the drive to bring in revenue to support the squadron, some of our traditions and Horse Guard values became watered down. More and more, the cavalry was having to fight for its front and centre role. The old model wasn’t working.

The latter part of 2008 and now well into 2009 has witnessed tremendous upheaval in local, provincial, national, and global economies, social organizations, and communities. It’s sad that it has affected a similar upheaval in an organization so close to the hearts of many in the military and equestrian communities.

All is not lost. The regiment and a handful of Cavalry Squadron riders have formed a core group to continue on the cavalry tradition, at a new location, with new horses and a new attitude. Like our four-legged companions, we may feel a bit lost without our larger herd but the smaller cohesive group may prove to be the thrust needed to break the ranks of the apathy and lack of opportunity hounding the dedicated Cav members in recent years.

We will live up to the cry: “Lead, follow, or get out of the way!” Nulli Secundus.

Daughters

"A Mother's Prayer"
I pray you'll be my eyes
And watch her where she goes
And help her to be wise
Help me to let go
Every mother's prayer
Every child knows
Lead her to a place
Guide her with your grace
To a place where she'll be safe
I pray she finds your light
And holds it in her heart
As darkness falls each night
Remind her where you are
Every mother's prayer
Every child knows
Need to find a place
Guide her to a place
Give her faith so she'll be safe
Lead her to a place
Guide her with your grace
To a place where she'll be safe

My daughters and I just finished watching Mamma Mia. What a blast – though Pierce Brosnan should definitely not give up his day job to take up singing. Meryl Streep on the other hand...

Finally, is our society finally letting women of “a certain age” be foxy, sexy, powerful? Maybe it’s just because the vast majority of society is now in its late 40s to early 60s, so it’s now okay to admit aging.

All I can say is: I wanna be Meryl Streep when I grow up.

Mamma Mia is pretty cheesy and certainly won’t go down in the annals as a great movie, but it was a fun watch. And my daughters, I think, sat there somewhat amazed at the antics of mature women ... and impressed. I myself loved the scenes where mom and daughter are getting ready for the wedding – cuddling and just being together.
I think the acceptance and the “it’s okay to be as you are” that each gave the other is one of the things I’d like to give my daughters.

I was recently talking with a friend who is in the middle of a pretty big hell with teenaged daughters in emotional crises and rebellion. Somehow, I think she and her husband feel overwhelmed and surrounded by a tide of failing families. Yet, she still has hope they’ll all come through it in the end. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone lived in the world of movie musicals...

I hope I give my daughters a strong sense of family, and a strong sense of themselves. Allow them to make their mistakes, but be there when they need to come home.

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cat.
“I don’t much care where – ” said Alice.
“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
“—so long as I get somewhere,” Alice add as an explanation.
“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Okay, I think I’m back to the theme of my first post ... which way from here.

One of the first things I bought myself when I started living away from home was a poster featuring the picture of the Cheshire Cat grinning down at Alice from a tree, with the text above printed alongside. It’s hung in the living-room space of every one of my abodes since, though now it graces my family’s TV room.

I glance at it frequently and now that I’m well into middle age, I realize I still haven’t figured out where I want to go.

There I was today, all but haranguing my fifteen-year-old daughter about making some decisions about the direction of her life... but there sat I thirty-six years her senior with no clearer idea of “what I want to be when I grow up” than she does.

Once again, I find myself out of one groove and not sure where I want to go for the next one. Fear rules; and now with so little time left, really, to get somewhere, I’m all but petrified (in the sense of being locked to the spot) about making a choice.

Maybe I just haven’t walked long enough yet ....

On being the wife of a soldier...

In my salad days, I blithely believed that here in peaceful Canada we had no need of an armed force, or to spend the money on maintaining one. Let’s spend it on education, health care, social welfare was my battle cry (still not bad ways to spend tax money!).

Then somehow, at the constant urging of a friend, I became involved with a passionate group of retired, serving, and civilian members of the ceremonial cavalry squadron of the Governor General’s Horse Guards. I protested long and hard: I didn’t support the armed forces and “why would I want to hang around a bunch of old guys on horses?” said I.

Ha. It turns out that it wasn’t just a group of old guys – there were young ones, too. And women... and the children of those old guys, young guys, and women. One of those “young guys” was a certain master corporal, soon to be sergeant ... soon to be husband.

Almost 20 years and two children later, I find myself neck deep in all things military. Times and beliefs have not only changed for me, though. Many, many Canadians now realize that we have no choice but to provide for a strong military force, if we wish to maintain not only our country and way of life, and to help “keep the peace,” but to remind and reinforce to those who would threaten it, that we can stand up for ourselves.

Fighting words, but in many ways I’d give anything to get that innocence of 20 years ago back. Who would have believed 20 years ago that part of our national highway would be renamed the “Highway of Heroes” in honour of those who have given their lives on behalf of this country... in the last five or so years!

As a reservist, my husband did not have to head off to Bosnia, or, now, to Afghanistan. Although I wonder how long it will be before he cannot resist the lure of putting his years of training and experience to the test, instead of training the young recruits.

Even without heading overseas, my daughters and I have given up most weekends as a family so my husband could train and serve. Family vacations, what are those? Those are training times when hubby/dad travels to Meaford, or “Pet”, or even Gagetown. Still, he is who he is and we love and support him and the values, traditions, beliefs he and his fellow soldiers maintain and support every year, every day, every hour. But, I fear that those who cannot understand peace will take him away, along with many others.

What will this world be like as my daughters become adults? I echo the prayer from Ann Weems:

I NO LONGER PRAY FOR PEACE
On the edge of war, one foot already in,
I no longer pray for peace:
I pray for miracles.

I pray that stone hearts will turnto tender heartedness,
and evil intentions will turn
to mercifulness,
and all the soldiers already deployed
will be snatched out of harm's way,
and the whole world will be astounded onto its knees.

I pray that all the "God talk” will take bones,
and stand up and shed its cloak of faithlessness,
and walk again in its powerful truth.

I pray that the whole world might
sit down together and share
its bread and its wine.

Some say there is no hope, but then I've always applauded the holy fools
who never seem to give up on
the scandalousness of our faith:
that we are loved by God...
that we can truly love one another.

I no longer pray for peace:
I pray for miracles.

Ann Weems
Ash Wednesday,
March 5, 2003

Faith, strength and incredible writing

A few weeks ago, a friend introduced me to the poetry of Ann Weems. Here are the first few lines of “Yesterday’s Pain”...

In the godforsaken, obscene quicksand of life,
there is a deafening alleluia
rising from the souls of those who weep,
and of those who weep with those who weep.

...brings tears to my eyes...

Weems says more in 30 words than most of us can in 1500. The wife of a Presbyterian minister, she lost her only son, who was murdered the day after his 21st birthday. Such a senseless tragedy and yet somehow this strong woman has not only kept her faith strong but celebrates it through her poetry. She is one of my heroes.