Program Details:

Date: April 24, 2025
Time: 8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Vancouver Community College, Vancouver, B.C.

Nearly 200 B.C. high school students participated in in-person JABC TechWorks. Over 40 volunteer speakers and facilitators donated their time to share insights about the many tech-related career opportunities in B.C.’s rapidly growing tech sector. The event featured 8 breakout sessions, each highlighting a different area of the industry and giving students the chance to engage directly with professionals from a wide range of fields.

View photos from the program here.

Special guest speakers:

• JABC Welcome & Land Acknowledgement: Wendi Campbell, President and CEO, JA British Columbia
• Territory Welcome: Deborah Baker, Member of the VCH Board of Directors; Member of the Squamish Nation Chiefs and Council
• Emcee: Andrew MacLean, Developer Educator, Ecosystem, Twilio
• Keynote Speaker: Rogayeh Tabrizi CEO & Founder, Theory+Practice | AI Leader of the Year 2023 by WLDA
• Host Remarks: David Wells Vice President, Academic and Applied Research, Vancouver Community College
• Presenting Sponsor Remarks: Andrew Marchant Client Group Lead Resources Canada, Accenture

Breakout Sessions presented by:

• Shift: Led by Taylor Lin Brand and Community Manager, Shift | Theo Paul Web Developer, Shift | Audrey Rosyadi Marketing Coordinator Co-op, Shift | Andrew Mao Software Developer, Shift

• Teck Resources Limited: Led by Masaki Miyoshi Lead, Campus Talent Acquisition, Teck Resources Limited | Dave Donaldson Manager, Geospatial Solutions, Teck Resources Limited | Tyler Wiggins Product Developer, Teck Resources Limited | Ai Whelan Specialist, Community Investment, Teck Resources Limited

• Belmar Consulting: Led by Matt Hui President, Belmar Consulting | Tom Kadota Solutions Engineer, Belmar Consulting | Penny Sidhu HR Leader, Belmar Consulting | Laxinder Singh Delivery Team Lead + PMO Lead, Belmar Consulting

• Vancouver Community College: Led by Kevin Ly Instructor, VCC | Adamo Artuso Instructor, VCC | Brennan Wauters Instructor, VCC | Kelly Wightman Department Head CAD & BIM Technologies, VCC | Sigrid Albert Department Head, VCC | Xing Liu Instructor, VCC | Jason LaChance Instructor, VCC
  

• Best Buy Canada: Led by Alexander Huijsman Software Developer, Best Buy Canada | Nicole Braun Senior Product Manager; Integrations & Platform Focused PM, Best Buy Canada | Kate Smith, Best Buy Canada | Benjamin Boey Assistant Store Leader Operations, Best Buy Canada | Kathy Ilic Agile Specialist, Best Buy Canada | Fazil Rehman Project Specialist, Best Buy Canada

• VRCA | Division 15 | Etro Construction: Led by Dara Wone Director of Brand + Culture, Etro Construction | Karina Delcourt Strategic Initiatives Manager, Etro Construction | Diana Kwak VDC Coordinator, Etro Construction | Le Hien Huynh BIM Manager, Division 15 | Eva Ciesielska Workforce Development Manager, VRCA

• Accenture: Led by Alan Hadle Hamilton AI Value Strategy Principal, Accenture | Clara Serra UX/UI Designer, Accenture | Napassorn Limapichat Product & Experience Design, Accenture | Charvie Yadav Technology Consulting Analyst, Accenture | Lipika Sahni Accenture

• Oxygen8: Led by Kieran McFadden, Sales Applications Engineer, Oxygen8 | Tristan Yan-Klassen, Engineering Intern, Oxygen8

April 24, 2025—Nearly 200 high school students from across the Lower Mainland gathered in downtown Vancouver for JABC TechWorks 2025 In Person—a full day of hands-on career exploration in technology, innovation, and the future of work. 

This year’s program kicked off with an inspiring keynote by Rogayeh Tabrizi, CEO & Founder of Theory+Practice, whose powerful story set the tone for a day filled with insight and ambition. Students also heard from engaging presenters including Deborah Baker (Squamish Nation Chiefs and Council), Wendi Campbell (JA British Columbia), David Wells (Vancouver Community College), and Andrew Marchant (Accenture). A huge thank-you to our dynamic emcee Andrew MacLean, who kept the energy high throughout the day. 

Student Spotlight: Sascha Surjik-Wright, Grade 11 – Britannia Secondary 

For Grade 11 student Sascha Surjik-Wright, the event wasn’t just informative—it was transformative. 

“Honestly, what inspired me the most was probably hearing the stories from the people at the start of the whole event—those who are in the tech industry—talking about how they got there and the experiences they’ve had,” Sascha shared. 

A self-declared fan of “the science-y stuff,” Sascha was surprised to find himself drawn to areas outside his usual interests—like marketing. “I think marketing seemed more interesting to me than I thought it would be,” he admitted.  

Sascha described TechWorks as “an event where you just get to explore different variations of tech and all the different paths you can take without dedicating yourself to a few years in university.” His favourite part? Hearing directly from professionals who’ve built real careers in tech. Sascha’s experience is just one example of how early exposure and real-world insights can ignite a student’s sense of purpose—and open doors to possibility. 

Thank you to our Partners!

Provincial Partners