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Students network with local businesses |
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Wednesday, 25 February 2009 |
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 Students attending the Bingham County Career Exploration Fair Wednesday at Snake River High School get new hairstyles while chatting with stylists from The Hair Academy about educational and professional options after high school.
The Morning News / Daniel Iverson
By Daniel Iverson
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MORELAND — Students from high schools around the county visited the Snake River High School gym Wednesday to interact with more than 60 business, education and military leaders at the annual Bingham County Career Exploration Fair.
Buses were coming and going throughout the morning and early afternoon with visitors from everywhere between Shelley and Aberdeen.
Cheryl Keller of the Idaho Department of Labor said the purpose of the fair, now in its fifth year of alternating between SRHS and Blackfoot High School, is to help students to interact with employers and receive information about careers from those who are actually living them.
“We hope they go home and get excited about something," she said.
The hundreds of students moving from booth to booth around the gymnasium testified to Keller's statement the student participation was great.
"It has gotten bigger," she said. "And it's flowing a little more smoothly."
The number of employers is rising too. Keller said she is excited because employers are beginning to volunteer to participate instead of being asked by the organizing committee.
Students watched a presentation about making the most of the fair before entering the gym and making their way around the booths according to their own interests.
Some students were asked to complete questionnaires along the way, but Keller said those requirements varied depending on the school and class attending.
"Every class and school is different, so it kind of depends," she said.
Admissions counselors promoted their schools from across Idaho and even from out of state, while businesses covering a spectrum of industries were represented too.
Representatives from several of the region's largest employers, such as the Idaho National Laboratory and Premier Technology, were well represented on the floor.
Steven Muse, delivery services leader for Idaho Power, said a lot of students had stopped by his company's booth asking questions about how the company generates electricity and whether it is a good company to work for.
Riverbend Communications and The Hair Academy drew the biggest crowds. At the latter, students received new hairstyles while investigating career paths.
While a number of businesses used their booths to promote their own career opportunities, the Idaho Department of Labor provided information about job-hunting skills such as interviewing and preparing a résumé.
The fair is organized by a committee including members of the IDL, high school counselors and representatives from local employers, Keller said.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 27 February 2009 )
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