Tech Week
Inspiring the Next Generation
By James Ellard
April 2nd, 2024
March was an exciting month at the NWO Innovation Centre. I have the pleasure of organizing one of my favourite programs, Tech Week. If you're not familiar with Tech Week, it is an annual event that sparks young students minds and exposed them to various careers in tech and S.T.E.M. To captivate these young minds, tech and S.T.E.M. professionals visit classrooms throughout Thunder Bay and shared insights into their careers, discussing what they do in their respective industry and how they got there. The primary aim? To inspire students, showing them that tech isn't just a field of gadgets and gizmos but a viable and exciting career path worth exploring.
This year's Tech Week was a resounding success! The classrooms buzzed with excitement as students dove head-first into various tech-related activities. From 3D design and CNC machining that had students solving puzzles to simulate how things get made to inspirational talks on entrepreneurship, the students were engaged. These interactive sessions allowed students to develop smartphone apps, explore the world of drone videography, and even learn about vertical farming. A big thank you goes out to all 18 speakers for taking time out of their busy schedules to share their experiences with the students! With their help, Tech Week was able to reach 47 classrooms and over a thousand students.
Exposing kids to the career possibilities within tech and STEM is very important in today's society. In today's rapidly evolving world, a better understanding of technology is becoming increasingly important. Tech and STEM fields offer countless high-quality job opportunities, ranging from software development and engineering to A.I. science and biotechnology. By showcasing these opportunities, events like Tech Week help broaden students' perceptions, highlighting that traditional career paths aren't the only routes to success.
Tech and STEM jobs aren't just important; they're essential for driving innovation and progress in Northwestern Ontario. As we look towards the future, it's these fields that will shape our world. The students who participated in Tech Week are the future pioneers and innovators. By nurturing their interest and passion for tech at a young age, we're paving the way for a generation of thinkers and creators who will tackle the challenges of tomorrow head-on. Tech Week acts as a starting point for this journey, inspiring and empowering students to pursue their dreams in the tech industry and beyond.