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1080 Winslow Avenue, Coquitlam, BC, V3J 0M6| Phone: 604-939-9201| Contact Us
School District No. 43 (Coquitlam)
Learning for a Lifetime
District Work Experience Program

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​Welcome to the District Work Experience Program!

 

Dear Student, Families, Teachers, and Support Staff,

SD43's District Work Experience Program has been updated and refreshed to reflect the changing landscape of inclusive employment in BC and Canada.  We believe that ALL students have gifts to contribute, and that success happens when student strengths are matched with employer needs.  Supported employment starts with the belief that everyone who wants paid employment can attain it if the proper supports are in place.

The District Work Experience Program offers replacement curriculum to support the development of pre-employment and employability skills as well as opportunities to apply that learning in a work setting.

This work is aligned with the BC Government's Provincial Plan: Where We All Belong, a diversity and inclusion strategy that seeks to-

  1. Support an increasingly diverse workforce
  2. Enhance inclusion in the workplace
  3. Build a strong foundation for lasting and meaningful reconciliation
  4. Remove barriers to accessibility in the workplace

The District Work Experience Program is also aligned with the Ministry of Education's vision of “Increasing success in life for ALL" and the Ministry's Directions 2025: Strategic Goals and Objectives document, which prioritizes “… human and social development and the development of the educated citizen, seeking to enhance the development of self-worth, personal identity, and social responsibility, while valuing the diversity of all learners."

This Work Experience curriculum aims to enhance student employability skills and bring them closer to obtaining paid employment and enhanced independence.  Paid employment during the high school experience is one of the biggest predictors of post-school success. 

It is a collaborative approach, whereby teachers, parents/guardians, and EAs wrap around a student to create a personal support network wherein the student is at the center and is driving the process. 

Knowing a student's strengths, interests, and passions is at the heart of this curriculum.  When work experience opportunities are aligned with student strengths and interests, students feel a greater sense of intrinsic motivation. 

A person's career is considered their “journey" through life, and the Career Education and Work Experience curriculum offers students the opportunity to pursue this journey in personally meaningful and goal-oriented ways.

We are looking forward to supporting your students and school teams in this work!

Warmly,

 

The Learning Services Transition Team

Sarah Wynne- Transition Educator, Sharon Rittich and Cesar Biagtan- Work Experience Facilitators


Table of Contents: District WEX Program Guide

 

  1. District WEX Program Overview, Goals, and Person-Centered Planning Pedagogy
  2. The WEX Team: Roles and Responsibilities
  3. Student Discovery: Strengths, Interests, Preferences

    Guiding Questions:

    How do I learn?
    What am I good at? What are my strengths and stretches?
    How do I make a personal profile?
    What are my circles of support?
    How do I set goals?

     
  4. Understanding Why People Work

    Guiding Questions:

    What is a Job? Why is it important?
    How do I know what kind of job I would be good at?
    How do I know what kind of job I would like?

     
  5. Enhancing Pre-Employment and Employability Skills

    Guiding Questions:

    What are employability skills?
    What skills do I have? What are my next steps?
    What other skills are needed to get and keep a job?

     
  6. Self-Advocacy and Disclosure

    Guiding Questions:

    What is a self-advocate?
     What is disclosure?
      What is an accommodation and how to ask for one?

    Self Determination and the Right to Work

     
  7. Workplace and Community Safety

    Guiding Questions:

    What are my rights?  What are my responsibilities?  How can I keep myself safe?

     
  8. Building a Resume and Applying for a Job

    Guiding Questions:

    How do I create a resume?
    How can understanding and using technology help me get a job?
    What is an interview?  How can I prepare for an interview?

     
  9. Work Experience Placements

    Guiding Questions:

    What is a work experience placement? 
    What types of supports are available to help me be successful?

     
  10. Next Steps: Finding Paid Employment

    Guiding Questions:

    How do I find a paid job? What types of adult support services are available to help me?

    Transition Planning​



 

School District No. 43 (Coquitlam)

1080 Winslow Avenue, Coquitlam BC
V3J 0M6
604-939-9201 604-939-7828