Job Futures (www.jobfutures.ca) is a Canadian government website that provides information about 300 occupational groups. For each occupation, you can learn about average earnings, job duties, unemployment and education requirements. The strength of this website is that it provides up-to-date information about the work prospects or employment outlook for each occupation. This information can help you decide what kind of work to look for.

Under the work prospects section you can find information about the factors that affect how easy or hard it is to find work in different occupations. These factors include economic conditions and demand in different areas of Canada for workers in that occupation.

The example below shows the 2009 work prospects for Dental Assistants. You can search the website for information by sector, by education level or by the NOC code.

The following phrases come from the Job Futures website. Using your own words, explain what they mean.

1. licensing is mandatory  must have a licensing

2. rate of wage growth is below average  slow wage growth process

3. employment outlook is fair   possibility for emploment

4. earnings are close to national average   means that wages are close to the national average wages

5. work prospects will continue to be good    your work can be develop      have chances

6. retirement rate will likely be average       After retirement you have average wage

7. the number of job seekers will likely match the number of job openings   Means there will be a lot of job for job seekers or sufficient job for the people.

On the Job Futures website, read the information about an occupation that interests you. Prepare a short presentation and present it to the class. The following questions can guide you.

1. What are the main duties in this occupation?                                                                                                 Plan and develop child care and nursery school programs; Provide supervision and guidance of daily activities, field trips and special activities; Provide opportunity for creative expression through the mediums of art, dramatic play and music; Assess the developmental level of children; Prepare progress reports and discuss with parents and other staff members; Knowledge of Day Nurseries Act; Knowledge of licensing regulations; Establish guidelines for behaviour

2. What are the educational requirements?                                                                                            Early Childhood Education Diploma or Degree; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) Certificate; First Aid Certificate

3. What are the work prospects (hourly wages, unemployment rates)?                                                             Hourly: min. $11.5 for 25.0 hours per week 

4. What are some interesting facts about this occupation?