The Yukon has launched a website designed to help people find the job of their dreams.
The new WorkFutures site profiles the 100 jobs expected to be in the most demand in the territory through 2020.
“The transition of students from the classroom to employment is often difficult, especially as students struggle to identify an occupation that they want to work in and be successful in,” said Education Minister Scott Kent at a news conference Tuesday.
“It can also be hard for those who are already in the workforce to make a transition when they are looking for a change in their career path. What we’re announcing today is something that’s designed to make those transitions much easier.”
The new website is an upgrade to the previous WorkFutures resource, which was a phonebook-sized book.
A consulting company was hired to figure out, using the best available data, the top jobs in the Yukon and to compile profiles for each on the new website. A total of just over $200,000 was spent on the project.
“Originally, content from that WorkFutures book was posted as an online resource,” said Heather Finton from One Bird Consulting. “It was helpful, but it was boring.”
In addition to general profile information, the top 20 jobs each have two podcasts attached to them, allowing you to hear from Yukoners currently working in that career.
One is called A Day in the Life, and the other, Why I Love my Job.
“Every day I go to work, and like I say, it’s something different,” says a heavy-duty equipment mechanic featured on the site.
“You’re not in a humdrum, same place all the time, doing the same thing.”
Some of the top careers include bookkeepers, carpenters, mechanics, teachers and miners.
The job data is searchable by the required level of training, the salary and the expected level of future demand.
Viewers can also look for jobs in high demand in rural Yukon, or jobs with special connections or considerations related to First Nation communities.
“We’re very proud of the work that was done and the way that the new website includes so many different Yukon people,” said Finton. “We’re also hopeful that it will inspire the next generation to strengthen their skills and find rewarding work in our communities.”
The website is at the leading edge of its own field. Instead of having a separate version for mobile devices, the website simply recognizes the size of the screen it is being viewed on and adapts accordingly.
That means that new versions of the website will not have to be developed as mobile technology changes.
“As the users are looking for a career, the website itself is looking out for its work future,” said Eleanor Rosenberg with Aasman Brand Communications, the company hired to develop the website.
The site can be found at http://yukonworkfutures.gov.yk.ca. It will be updated as new job trend data becomes available.
Contact Jacqueline Ronson at
jronson@yukon-news.com