The College Information Program is back visiting eight communities in the Northwest after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
The annual event for high school students and anyone interested in college programs is a six-week travelling program featuring recruiters from colleges across Ontario.
The stop at Confederation College in Thunder Bay takes place on Wednesday, Oct. 5, from 5 to 8 p.m.
The tour will also visit high schools across the region, beginning in Dryden on Monday, Oct. 3 before heading east through Wawa by Friday, Oct. 7. Details are available at the college's website, and a full list of dates and locations is included below.
Participating schools include Algonquin College, Cambrian College, Conestoga College, Confederation College, Fanshawe College, Georgian College, Loyalist College, Northern College, Sault College, St. Clair College, and St. Lawrence College.
Sheena Zegil, a recruitment officer with Confederation College, called the event a perfect opportunity for students to ask "all those questions that will help guide their decision-making over the next couple of years as they look at post-secondary options."
"They don’t have to travel - it comes right to their high school," she said. "The teachers are really excited they get to learn about the opportunities as well and make those connections. The guidance counsellors are excited for that as well."
The students get to ask questions about anything related to college life, Zegil said, from residence options to clubs and student supports, as well as learning more about the colleges' academic programs.
“And a lot of the kids, they may not have any idea what area they are interested in and the [representatives] get to really suss that out for the students,” she said. “So they'll ask all of the right questions, see what classes they’re really strong in or what classes they really enjoy, and then we try to match them with programs and career pathways they may not have known about. Then we get to guide them through the admission requirements.”
It's also a chance for school seniors to check if they have all the pre-requisites for courses they're interested in, she said, giving them time to plan for make-up credits or other upgrading options.
The tour includes the following stops:
Dryden: Oct. 3, 1 to 2:30 p.m. at Dryden High School
Kenora: Oct. 4, 9 to 10:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Aquinas High School
Fort Frances: Oct. 4, 2 to 3 p.m. at Fort Frances High School
Atikokan: Oct. 5, 10:15 to 11:30 a.m. at Atikokan High School
Thunder Bay: Oct. 5, 6 to 8 p.m. at Confederation College
Red Rock: Oct. 6, 8 to 10:30 a.m. at Nipigon-Red Rock High School
Marathon: Oct. 6, 2 to 3 p.m. at Marathon High School
Wawa: Oct. 7, 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Michipicoten High School.
