Proposal – Social Business Creation

William Notarnicola, Brian Ly, Jovan Bibic, Ian Couture, Hendrix Majumdar-Moreau, Marco Pitruzzello

Proposal

Problem

Around 75% of high school students report feeling moderately, slightly or not at all prepared when it comes to planning their future career.
53% of college students change their major at least twice.
42% reported lacking confidence in their chosen career path.
In our field research we conducted, we found that people were not fully decided on what they wanted to do, and would appreciate meeting people in different professions.

Students might have broad knowledge of their desired career, but lack knowledge of how to navigate the pathway to their career and the desirability of the career when considering day-to-day workload.
Currently, there are services available to students seeking information on potential career paths, such as job fairs or school counsellors.
However, job fairs are geared towards recruiting post-high school students. Meanwhile, school counsellors cannot provide the same information that a recruiter or industry expert could.
Students who lack information about which career to choose or how to develop their skills for a chosen career risk starting their professional lives in an environment that is not suited to them.

Viewed from a broader perspective, this lack of information causes economic inefficiency as career-specific skills are not properly developed and years of experience acquisition are wasted from excessive career changes.
Viewed from an individual’s perspective, more information about future careers reduces career-selection stress and prevents entry into careers that are not suited to the individual’s personality.

Our Idea

Our proposal, Oraculi, provides a Ted style conference mixed with speed dating in order to provide career information to high school students ages 14-25.
At first, it will be primarily focused in Quebec.
Oraculi hosts events where guest-speakers, such as industry leaders, members of trade associations, or even entrepreneurs, discuss their career selection experience and their pathway to the position that they are in now.
The presentations are then followed by short one-on-one conversations with the speakers at tables. During this period, students are free to ask questions relevant to themselves in a non-stressful environment.
There will also be a website where students can find information about various different career paths, key statistics about these careers, such as how much schooling is needed, average wage, workload, skills and characteristics needed, opportunities to move forward testimonials from professionals, and information about upcoming events.
This will provide an all in one place where students can access valuable information to complement their experience at a conference or to replace it if they are not able to attend.

United Nations Goals

Oraculi contributes to the United Nations sustainable goal: “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. By offering events and resources where students can learn about different career paths, it ensures students are properly educated in order to make properly informed decisions. 30% of students reported that they were not following an education or career path. This will put them at a disadvantage as they do not have a goal, and may waste time and money studying something that they might not use in their future careers. The quality of your education is dependent on your goals, and certain students do not have the adequate resources to set proper goals.
It will also Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. As it will help ensure students enter the industry that is best suited to their skills and desires.

Works Cited

About Us. YouScience. (2024, February 26). https://www.youscience.com/about-us/

How prepared are high school graduates for their next step?. You Science. (n.d.). https://resources.youscience.com/rs/806-BFU-539/images/2022_PostGradReadiness_Report_Pt1.pdf

Lucariello12/05/22, K. (n.d.). National Survey finds High School graduates not prepared for college or career decisions. THE Journal. https://thejournal.com/articles/2022/12/05/national-survey-finds-high-school-graduates-not-prepared-for-college-or-career-decisions.aspx