Priority One and Rotary Tauranga would like to thank Trustpower Baypark Arena for hosting what was a successful Canvas Careers Expo recently.

With over 60 exhibitors from local businesses and tertiary study and training providers involved, 3000 Bay secondary school students were welcomed through the doors on Friday 30^th July while 2000 local residents attended on Saturday 31^st.

Expo organiser Sue Boyne said, “It’s great to see this event return to Baypark, an excellent facility with flexible and responsive staff who make the execution of such a large-scale event a dream.”

This year’s expo focus was on making connections. Those in attendance – particularly our youth – were provided resources prior to the event to consider who they are, where they come from, and what skills and strengths they have to bring to the world of further study and work. Exhibitors were likewise challenged to think about how different skills and strengths could add value to their programmes, roles or operations. With new jobs emerging constantly, it’s impossible to know exactly what may be available for our youth in 10 years and beyond, hence the encouragement to consider the transferability of their skills and strengths across multiple sectors at Canvas.

Early feedback indicates that the quality of interaction between youth and exhibitors represented a marked improvement on previous years, at least partly as a result of the focus on connections. This, combined with the excellent event configuration that Baypark enabled, made for a genuinely engaging community event for our sub-region.

We look forward to returning to Trustpower Baypark for Canvas Careers Expo again in 2022 and welcome enquiries from local businesses about how to get involved as exhibitors – please contact Andy Howells, Instep Manager at andy@priorityone.co.nz.