OTTAWA, Ontario, March 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Let’s Talk Careers (LTC) concluded its largest competition to date, providing thousands of students nationwide with opportunities to explore post-secondary education and career pathways. The fall competition ran from October 27 to December 5, 2025, on the ChatterHigh platform. Skills/Compétences Canada partnered with Let’s Talk Science, NGen, NAV CANADA, Quantum Algorithms Institute, and ChatterHigh to give students the opportunity to explore careers in the skilled trades, and sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) gaining exposure to hundreds of National Occupational Classifications (NOC).
“Reaching more than 10,000 students across Canada marks a significant milestone for the Let’s Talk Careers Competition. This level of participation shows that young people are eager to explore careers in the skilled trades and technologies. This showcases the real impact of LTC in helping students discover meaningful skilled career pathways,” said Shaun Thorson, CEO of Skills/Compétences Canada.
Students demonstrated high levels of engagement during this round of the LTC Competition. More than 10,000 students from 386 schools explored post-secondary pathways and job opportunities, generating 932,756 page visits. In recognition of their participation, 374 students earned bursaries ranging from $100 to $500. Participants in the competition increased their awareness of over 490 different occupations by an average of 9 per cent between the start and end of each competition. The competition is designed to make career exploration interactive and more accessible to students.
Since its launch in 2020, the LTC Competition has seen significant national growth. Student participation has increased from approximately 6,000 students in its first round to more than 10,000 this year, while school participation has grown from 200 to 386 schools nationwide. Page visits have more than doubled over that time, an increase of over 110 per cent, highlighting the program’s expanding reach and influence across Canada.
“When students contemplate what programs or occupations would be of interest to them, the idea of researching the possibilities can seem overwhelming,” said Lee Taal, CEO and Founder of ChatterHigh. “The Let’s Talk Careers Competition breaks down the task of researching pathways and resources into bite-sized chunks and motivates students to get actively exploring.”
This initiative supports students in identifying education and career options aligned with their interests through interactive tools such as interest profile building, updated daily through sets of 10 questions. The platform aims to reduce stress often associated with career planning by presenting exploration as an engaging and rewarding experience.
“The ChatterHigh platform provides some fantastic opportunities for youth! By viewing career professionals in diverse industries, students can see what’s possible. For the most part, participants don’t even know about half of the emerging opportunities, and if they don’t know about something, how could they ever dream of it?” said Dr. Bonnie Schmidt, President of Let’s Talk Science.
The next LTC competition will take place April 13 to May 22, 2026. Participation is open to all Canadian schools at no cost. Additional details and registration are available on the Let’s Talk Careers landing page.
About Skills/Compétences Canada
Founded in 1989 as a national, not-for-profit organization with partner Skills Canada organizations in each of the provinces/territories that work with employers, educators, labour groups and governments to promote skilled trade and technology careers among Canadian youth. Its unique position among private and public sector partners enables it to work toward securing Canada’s future skilled labour needs while helping young people discover rewarding careers. Skills Canada offers experiential learning opportunities including skilled trade and technology competitions for hundreds of thousands of young Canadians through regional, provincial/territorial, national and international events, as well as skilled trade awareness programs. Headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Skills/Compétences Canada is the Canadian Member Organization of WorldSkills.
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Media Contact :
Michèle Rogerson, Skills/Compétences Canada, [email protected], T. 613-266-4771.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/03b35acf-3eae-44ef-a942-1f951085e22a