The Ottawa Carleton District School Board, the Ottawa Catholic School Board, and the Peel District School Board proudly hosted Launch 2024, the fifth annual post-secondary pathway exploration virtual conference for Grade 10-12 students. This virtual event, held on November 6, 2024, from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., was a great opportunity for students to explore post-secondary pathways. Students from school boards across Ontario also participated in this event.
| Graduation
is an important milestone however, it is not a destination, rather a
launching point for students' life journey. We want students to know
that each of these is a first choice option; that their decision and
their choice is important and valued. |
Launch 2024 allowed students to explore their chosen post-secondary pathway goal, recognizing that all pathways are first choice options. This virtual conference allowed students a space to gather information about what is available as next steps, as well as hear about different learning experiences and opportunities from current students, apprentices and employers.
The conference featured workshops and exhibitors from colleges, universities, training delivery agents, employers, gap-year programs, and service providers to help introduce students to the world of possibilities beyond high school.
The event also included panels of former students who represent the diversity of the students in all pathways, sharing their experiences as they pursued their pathways goals.
The recordings of these informative sessions are available on our YouTube channel.
Event Details
This event was organized using an online platform called vFairs that allows participants to visit a plenary hall, exhibitors’ hall and seminar rooms, as they would if this were in-person. They could choose sessions in advance, and log in to find the information and hear the stories that they are looking for. The structure allowed them to personalize their experience. They could choose to participate in all, or only parts of the day.