Transcript: Sammie’s report expandable section

Report on the Organisation of the Salty Creek Community Festival’s Industry Booths

Introduction 

As part of the event’s ‘future’ focus, this year’s Salty Creek Community Festival will feature industry booths. These booths will offer a space where attendees can learn about emerging roles in innovative and in-demand industries in the Salty Shire region and beyond. To ensure the booths align with the interests of attendees, members of the planning team conducted a survey and the data collected has been used to guide planning decisions for the booths. The aim of this report is to inform the Salty Creek Community Festival Board of the decisions that have been made based on this data.

Survey Information 

Analysis of ticket sales at previous local events and current predictions of attendee age demographics indicates that the largest age demographic at the festival will be young adults between sixteen and twenty. To ensure that the industry booths will benefit and engage this demographic, the planning team conducted a survey in three local high schools. 361 students responded to the survey, with the majority being between sixteen and eighteen years old. The survey asked respondents to indicate their year level, plans after high school, the industries they are most interested in, and areas they would like to learn more about.

Findings 

The survey results showed that many students are interested in tertiary education, but the majority are unsure of their plans after secondary school. Many respondents are already interested in tertiary education and pathways, but the majority (47%) indicated that they were not sure yet what they will do after secondary school. However, even students who were unsure of their plans nominated areas of interest in the next part of the survey, indicating they are interested in finding out more.

According to the survey data, local high school students are interested in a range of industries, with economics, engineering, and healthcare being the most popular. Education and marketing were also popular results. Information technology and visual art and design had the lowest selections, but still received significant interest from students, with fifty-nine and forty-nine selections respectively.

The most nominated areas of interest for students were: “What kinds of jobs can I do with a university degree?”, “How do job advertisements work?”, “What kind of work is available in this area?”, and “What new and innovative jobs will exist when I graduate?”. Respondents also showed interest in highly valued skills in the workforce, like time management and digital literacy. Finally, a significant number of students (55%) said they would like to find out more about careers that could help them make a difference in the world, like those related to sustainability.

Decisions 

Based on the survey results, the planning team has tailored the industry booths to align with the interests of the survey respondents.

There will be four industry booths: Economics and Marketing, Engineering, Health Sector and Social Sector. Information about the education industry will be included in the Social Sectors Industry Booth. While there was some interest in the marketing industry, the response did not justify establishing an individual booth. However, marketing information will be incorporated into the economics booth as they are related industries. Additionally, as technology plays a crucial role in most industries, each booth will include information on technology within that specific industry. Furthermore, booth organisers and guests have been engaged to develop informational material and sessions on sustainability within these industries and transferable skills such as online communication and time management.

The decision has been made to establish a job board at each booth to address the interest students expressed in understanding job advertisements and requirements, the types of innovative and in-demand jobs in the region, and the skills required to apply for such positions. The job board will display current vacancies, and booth organisers will provide attendees with information on the terminology and requirements of the jobs. Finally, free resources will be made available to attendees who want to learn more about the skills highlighted in the job advertisements.

Conclusion 

The survey conducted by the planning team provided valuable insights into the interests of high school students and helped the team make informed decisions regarding the organisation of the industry booths at the festival. The Salty Creek Community Festival’s industry booths are poised to be an informative and engaging part of the festival.