High school students got the chance to explore career options in communications management by joining a Conestoga competition simulating real-world business crisis scenarios.
High school students from Waterloo Collegiate Institute and Glenview Park Secondary School explored career options in communications management by joining a Conestoga competition simulating real-world business crisis scenarios.
Faculty from the college’s Bachelor of Communications Management degree program, in collaboration with the School College Work Initiative team, facilitated the outreach opportunity this winter for more than 70 students in Grades 11 and 12 from Waterloo Collegiate Institute and Glenview Park Secondary School who took part in three separate competitions.
“We challenged students to analyze a case study, craft strategic messaging and present a media statement in a mock press conference where they practiced staying on message while fielding questions from journalists,” said professor Cheryl Williams, who facilitated the workshops.
“The energy in the room was palpable as they braved the spotlight, simulating the important role professional communicators play in managing corporate crises.”
The workshops were open exclusively to students in the Arts and Culture Specialist High School Major program. The Specialist High Skills Major is a specialized, provincially approved program that allows students to gain credits toward their secondary school diploma and focus their learning on a specific economic sector.
The Ontario government projects four to five per cent job growth in this field over the next five years.
“There are so many diverse career paths to choose from when you are a student specializing in arts and culture,” Williams said. “We want these students to realize that their writing, design and presentation skills are a natural fit for a lucrative career in the broad field of business communications.”
Jyra Perez, a fourth-year student in the program, helped deliver the workshops, relating her personal journey to the students and why an applied degree at Conestoga was the right choice for her.
“When you graduate with a BA from a typical university, you have learned a lot of theory, but you don't usually have job skills or co-op experience in public relations and communications.”
Conestoga was the obvious choice for Perez because she could graduate with a degree, applied skills training, a professional portfolio and two paid co-op terms.
Case competitions will continue in September. Interested high school teachers and guidance counsellors can reach out to bcm@conestogac.on.ca.
Conestoga's Bachelor of Communications Management degree is the first of its kind in Canada, blending the best of a business degree with the best of a communications degree. It is built on the solid foundation of its predecessor program, the Bachelor of Public Relations. This robust business degree meets strong marketplace demand for professional communicators with business acumen.