Reboot Plus program helps put Surrey students on path to success

A new program is helping vulnerable Surrey students better prepare for life after secondary school by providing the tools and resources to plan for their futures.

Delivered in partnership with Douglas College and PEERs Employment and Education Resources, Reboot Plus assists youth aged 17 to 24 who have not graduated to develop education and career action plans. The 16-week, in-person program was piloted last September, with 14 of 15 students completing it successfully – the program’s highest completion rate of any school district in the Lower Mainland.

“The program really looks at where the students are, trying to give them a direction but not just in the traditional sense,” said Debbie Holmes, a work transitions specialist with Surrey Schools’ Education Services department. “They talk about how nobody really knows what they want to do and assure them that it’s okay to not know.

“Then they take them through exercises and activities to find out what they’re good at, what they’re interested in and what their options are.”

Through the program, students identify their values, personality traits, interests and skills to help guide them towards a school or career path they may not have considered. Career professionals meet with the students through informational interviews, sharing their knowledge and experience in a given field, sometimes offering opportunities to tour different organizations that can support students.

“The biggest strength of the program is the connections they help them make in the business world,” said Holmes. “The interviews give them mentors or contacts to help them for their future.”

Whether students wish to pursue post-secondary or simply enter the workforce, Reboot Plus showcases the numerous opportunities at their fingertips. Additionally, because it is offered in-person at Douglas College’s New Westminster campus, students get exposure to college life, offering a more seamless transition to post-secondary if they so choose.

“Out of the 14 who finished, I would say half are going to go to post-secondary now, whereas I don’t know if we would’ve had half before,” said Holmes. “It was just a really eye-opening thing for the students.”

The district currently has one cohort of 12 students attending the program, with potential to run two more cohorts this school year.

For more information, visit rebootplus.ca or contact your secondary school career facilitator.