Students, industry partners make connections at annual SVVSD job fair
Apr. 26—From college courses to technology internships, the third annual St. Vrain Valley Schools' Career and Job Fair on Friday showed students what's possible in their professional development.
The fair was held at two different locations in Longmont: the Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools, and the Career Elevation and Technology Center. Both locations featured booths manned by local and regional industry representatives, who networked with students from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
"It was really exciting to see a lot of people actually show up right away or early," said Lynne Eckart, industry certification facilitator with the Innovation Center. "A lot of (parents) came along and made comments like, 'We never had this when I was a teen.'"
At the Innovation Center, roughly 35 booths had representatives offering information about the services offered by their organization, and how students could get involved. Many of the partners were from STEM industries, including bioscience and cybersecurity.
"From the industry side, really engaging with the youth and having those conversations is huge," Eckart said.
Eckart said the partners that participated in the fair are good connections for students interested in work-based learning programs. Those could take the form of an internship, job shadowing or participation in a company project.
"That's a big thing that we're seeing within education: teens not aware of what's available to them," Eckart said. "Having industry partners here is amazing."
Some of the universities with booths at the fair included Metropolitan State University of Denver and Colorado State University. Carson Eliasen with CSU's Nancy Richardson Design Center said the department has a hands-on approach to learning, giving students access to woodworking, robotics and more.
Eliasen said the career fair is all about showing students that there are opportunities for them to pursue what they're passionate about.
"We just like to show these students what the next step could be if they like this kind of thing and they want to stay in academia," Eliasen said. "We want to show them what they can do in a college setting."
Environmental solutions company Veolia had a presence at the fair for the first time on Friday. Gary Silver, a biochemical engineer for Veolia's Boulder division, said the business wanted to attend to let high school students know that Veolia is in the community.
"We have plenty of positions for people who don't have degrees," Silver said. "So we're making them aware of those opportunities now, but also of opportunities in the future."
Sienna Arellano, a Niwot High School senior who attended the fair, said it's inspiring to meet people who are already in the career field she hopes to join.
"Talking with these industry professionals who want to engage with you, who want to let you know about their industry...that's very cool as a high schooler," Arellano said.
