Over the week of June 13 to 17, YCIS Chongqing staged the 4th annual YCIS Careers Week with a range of activities and workshops designed to prepare students in Years 10 to 12 for life beyond high school.

Organized by YCIS University Guidance Officer Ms. Ku-Ku Cheung, Careers Week commenced Monday morning with Parent Organization head Mrs. Emily Rogers conducting a ‘Leading with Communication’ workshop for all upper Secondary students. Emily is a highly qualified and experienced workshop facilitator specializing in both leadership and business communication. Through the workshop, students have learnt about the art of effective leadership and how that leadership is linked to effective and smart communication.

On following day, students were divided into year groups to undertake different programs. Year 10s took personality tests in sessions run by Mrs. Andrea Miller and explored potential careers that might suit their personal characteristics, motivations, and interests. Year 11s visited the Ford Automotive Company facility nearby, while the Year 12s had been exploring specific universities that interest them and then drafted and developed personal statements (essays) those universities might require.

Wednesday morning started with “Careers Breakfast” where students had opportunity to rub shoulders with area professionals while enjoying breakfast and hearing short presentations about those professionals’ careers. Our students were encouraged to ask the professionals questions from professional knowledge to workplace competitions. Following this, students participated in workshops in which they experienced ‘A Day in the Life’ in several professions in various occupations.

Careers Week wrapped up on Thursday and Friday with preparations for a contest based on the TV show ‘The Apprentice’, where students competed in groups and presented a project before a board of professionals for evaluation. To complement these sessions, our P.E. teachers, Mr. Donald and Mr. Kwakkel organized a ‘Human Strategy’ team-building session , helping our students build and develop teamwork strategies.

It was a busy yet fun and rewarding week, and YCIS Chongqing looks forward to offering our young careerists the chance to participate in this meaningful and challenging enrichment programme next year!