“I do not know where to go or what to do.”
Many students graduating from Mountain View high schools have expressed those exact words. Some students know exactly what their path will be and how they hope their future will unfold. However, there are other students who feel there is nowhere to go and are unsure of their future.
During the public consultations in 2015, parents and business owners articulated to trustees that rural students are at a disadvantage when compared to urban students, as information about future career opportunities is harder to research and access. Additionally, parents expressed a frustration with the lack of knowledge of proper course selection to ensure future success in the chosen career paths. Businesses communicated their concerns that many students did not have the necessary social-economic skills, know how to write a resume properly, or had weak interviewing skills.
Consequently, during the setting of the goals for the 2016-2021 strategic direction, the MVSD Board of Trustees determined one of the focus areas should be Career Development: empowering students to see the opportunities, enhancing awareness and skill development, and to enable each pupil to have a hand in their own destiny. To help support educators in delivering this goal, the Board of Trustees and Senior Administrative team invested in Xello (formerly Career Cruising) for all students in grades 6-12.
Xello engages students in creating an exclusive plan for their future success. The program allows the participants to explore “their own unique journey, whether it involves a trade, college, university, entrepreneurship, or other training”.
In the platform, the participants take a genuine look at who they are, their learning style, and their interests. With this awareness, students are able to explore what that may mean and where their interests can take them in the future. Additionally, the program enables students to discover college, university, trade, and career options based on their personality and skills.
As stated on the Xello website, “each student is able to personalize their Xello experience by creating a shareable, online portfolio that showcases their interests, skills, and abilities.” However, people and their interests do change over time as exposure to new ideas is experienced. This especially applies to students who are continually exploring new opportunities. With this in mind, the program can easily be updated as new experiences are gained, reflecting the students’ values at the different stages of their lives.
While suggesting ideas for the future, Xello offers a road map that assesses each student’s current learning path and contains planning tools that enable the students to personalize and control their course selection to assist them in reaching their goals.
Furthermore, the platform contains curriculum that emphasizes different lesson plans and reflective activities supporting the building of necessary knowledge and social-emotional skills such as communication, problem solving, and teamwork skills, which are valued in the workplace. In addition, while working through the modules, students build a comprehensive resume for job opportunity applications.
MVSD Board of Trustees, along with the Senior Administrative team, hope that by offering this program as a tool for the division students, they will gain an advantage that equips them with the knowledge, real-world skills, and planning capabilities to pilot their future.
Moreover, it is the desire that each participant comes away with the awareness that “not one size fits all” and each person needs to take their own path.
Parents are encouraged to talk to their children about their experiences using Xello and the lessons learned. Additional information can also be found on the division website at www.mvsd.ca or https://xello.world/en/.