Thirty-one local employers assembled in downtown Springfield last Thursday for a job fair held specifically for county eighth-grade students, with seven schools participating.
The event was designed as an outlet for teenagers to develop a foundation of their possible future career choices, allowing them to make better decisions when they enter high school and begin selecting their own classes.
130 eighth-grade students from Greenon attended the job fair, said Andrea Maxson, who acts as Greenon’s seventh and eighth grade counselor.
Maxson said that exposing the students to this sort of job fair is a proactive approach to generating interest in their future selves.
“It’s important early on to start thinking about high school courses that interest them,” Maxson said.
Greenon students Aaliyah Rios and Ian Anderson attended the job fair, saying they hadn’t really given immense thought to their futures, but noted that the fair at least gave them some ideas.
Enon salon Dezigns By Tonya set up a booth at the job fair as an employer, saying it was their first time doing so, but that it had been a “popular booth today,” according to Heather Mercuri of Dezigns By Tonya.
Mercuri said the cosmetology field “is booming” currently, noting that those interested in the profession should have no trouble finding work. She said the trade is spiking due to the rise in skin care and men’s health products.
Mercuri said that the staff at Dezigns By Tonya likes to act as mentors to those interested in becoming a stylist, saying it is a great way for them to discover if they have what it takes.
Tecumseh Guidance Counselor Suzanne Massie took 220 Tecumseh eighth-graders to the job fair, also saying that she believed her students would benefit from being able to make more educated course decisions next year when they enter high school.
“Some of them have no idea what they want to get in to after they graduate,” said Massie. “They’re going to high school next year and they’re going to get to start making their own choices.”
Tecumseh eighth-grader John Kramer said he was one of the students who hadn’t given much thought to his future, saying the job fair at least gave him some ideas.
“I’m thinking something in Family Services,” Kramer said when asked which profession would seem to suit him after graduation. “Or maybe a cop.”
Western Clark County Business Coalition Member Chris Leapley attended the job fair as an employer with his firm, Martin, Browne, Hull, and Harper. Leapley and fellow Martin Browne attorney Kara Stephens spoke to students at the event, telling them a little bit about different professions in the legal field.
Stephens said this gave them an opportunity to talk with students interested in law-related professions, helping the decide whether they’d be better-suited to the law enforcement or legal side of the trade.
Scott Griffith of Lee’s Chicken also set up at the event, stressing the parallels between workforce development and economic development, saying that an educated workforce is crucial to a successful economy.
“We want to show them the jobs available in Clark County today,” said Griffith. “And we want to show them that there is every reason to stay here when they graduate.”
