Elmwood High School students visit community businesses for Take Our Kids to Work Day

Workplaces around Winnipeg graciously opened their doors and hosted our Grade 9 students for the annual Take Our Kids to Work Day on November 1. The day is designed for students to experience "a day in the life" of various diverse professionals, and to explore and discover possible future career options and opportunities. 

From factories to kiosks, offices to clinics, thousands of Grade 9 students from across Winnipeg School Division had an opportunity to get a closer look at jobs they may wish to pursue in just a few short years.

At Elmwood High School, Grade 9s had a new option this year, a field trip to three Winnipeg organisations—Peak of the Market, Johnston Group and Peerless Garments.

In the morning, students explored the vast Peak of the Market building, enjoyed a sponsored lunch generously provided and hosted by Johnston Insurance Group followed by a guided tour of Peerless Garments in the afternoon. 

For Peak of the Market, it was an opportunity to give back to the community and highlight the many rewarding career opportunities that they offer right here in Winnipeg.

“We had a great morning sharing what we do at Peak with the Grade 9 students from Elmwood High. Take Your Kid to Work Day is a great opportunity to connect with the future workforce and showcase the variety of rewarding and impactful careers within the produce industry,” said Taylor Fenn, Director of Marketing & Communications at Peak of the Market.

All 39 of the students who participated were very interested in working at the companies they visited and all had an opportunity to ask questions during their hands-on tours. 

"We were honoured to host students from Elmwood High School for lunch, to have them tour our wonderful facility, give them a safe space to ask questions about our industry and play some employment-related puzzle games. We know insurance isn't necessarily the most exciting field, so we were excited for the opportunity to show the students all the different career paths there are within a company like ours,” shared Brittany Hart, Special Projects Coordinator on behalf of Johnston Group.

At Peerless Garments, students had a hands-on experience understanding the process behind developing garments that are delivered to the Canadian Army, Navy, Airforce, and RCMP—such as the overalls in the image below.

“The field trip was a huge success. For some students their parents may work in a secure facility or out of town and that can be difficult to accommodate students. Organizing this learning opportunity was a good alternative to ensure inclusivity for Take Our Kids to Work ensuring that all Grade 9 students have the opportunity to participate,” said Elmwood High School principal Cree Crowchild.