Laying cement, killing insects, fighting fires and protecting the community are only four out of 40 careers provided by businesses at the School to Work job fair.
“It’s fantastic, all of these students here are seniors. They’re all graduating in a couple of weeks and some may not know what they want to do in their life, I always tell them, ‘you might think you know what you want to do, but maybe you walk through here and you see a different company, you’ll be like I didn’t know that existed.’ I just try to get them to keep an open mind because I say, ‘when you’re 25 years old, you’re gonna think differently than when you’re 18,’” event organizer Justin Luce said.
The fair took place for the first time on Wednesday, April 24 in the Performing Arts Centers’ lobby. Five schools participated, including: Stevenson High School, Utica High School, Henry Ford High School, Eisenhower High School and the Alternative Learning Center. The overall goal was to bring businesses hiring to the students. Preparation took months.
“We’ve been getting together since November once a month to fine tune this event. So it was a combined effort from all five high schools,” Luce said.
The fine tuning paid off with the help from the staff and businesses. Students’ attendance peaked with all the opportunities provided.
“[The fair helps with] giving ideas for what you want to do or any opening job opportunities. It gives you an idea of what’s out there,” senior Brody Shemanski said.
The Career and Technological (CTE) classes provide an open door to those seeking to learn about the trade industry. CTE classes introduce students to different trades, which is another option for students than college. When vendors are approached, they talk to the students about the career and what they are looking for in a candidate. Some do mock interviews to familiarize students with common questions asked.
“I think this event is a wonderful idea. I’m excited to represent my business because I know a couple years ago college was really a push for everybody to go to college. I don’t believe that’s always the case,” Florence Cement Company controller Melinda Lanni said. “I think having other fields represented such as trade and other opportunities for students out of college is great for students to see there’s more to having a career than just having to go to college.”
