Students’ eyes were opened to a range of possibilities after graduation on Thursday during Franklin Technology Center’s annual career fair at Joplin High School.
“This is for students to broaden their horizons on what’s available for them, not only in the Joplin area, but in our surrounding areas as well,” said Kaci Dorton, director of Franklin Technology Center. “A lot of our kids don’t know our local industries and the career paths in those industries that are available to them.”
About 1,600 sophomores, juniors and seniors from Franklin Tech and Joplin High School attended the fair. Franklin Tech serves other area schools, including Carl Junction, Webb City, Sarcoxie, McAuley Catholic High School, College Heights Christian School and homeschooled students.
In the high school’s gymnasiums, about 100 businesses greeted students representing career paths. Universities, colleges, career and technical schools, and the branches of the military also were there.
Thursday’s career fair also offered breakout sessions on subjects such as starting a business and money management. Dorton said as high school students enter their career field, there’s potential to make a lot of money. The goal is to give them tools to take care of their earnings going forward.
The fair was also a way for students to work on issues such as making eye contact, proper posture and listening, she said.
‘First conversation’
“Being able to have those conversations with people is so valuable for our kids,” Dorton said. “Just getting their foot in the door and having that first conversation makes a big difference.”
Alan Brady, senior manager of human resources with CFI, represented the company, which has been a major employer in the Joplin area for years.
“We’re a premier truckload carrier in the United States,” Brady said. “Our business is to haul freight across the 48 contiguous states, as well as in Canada and Mexico. We’ve been around since 1951 in the Joplin community.”
CFI is continuing to expand job opportunities in the region, Brady said. The company is looking for not only qualified drivers but also candidates for jobs such as programming, accounting and customer service. All of these fields help CFI meet its goals of delivering freight on time, Brady said.
“There’s all these different career paths that someone might not think a transportation company might have,” Brady said. “But they’re all important for the drivers to do their job well.”
CFI has always been a big supporter of the Franklin Tech program, said Brady, who’s on the advisory board. For him, the fair is a good opportunity to reach both younger and nontraditional students.
“We have a vested interest in Joplin and seeing Joplin pull forward,” Brady said. “We like to support community programs like Franklin Tech and Joplin High School, because we want people to do well and think of us as an employer in the Joplin area.”
Franklin Technology Center seniors Erika Washom and Jessie Givens were busy at the hospitality table, serving coffee and snacks.
Washom is currently enlisted in the National Guard and is hoping to study aviation at Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She said she was impressed by the variety of technical and educational options at the fair. Her focus at the career fair was her interest in automotive programs.
‘I look at the options’
“I try to look at how they represent themselves, how well they know their programs,” Washom said. “When I look at an automotive program, I look at the options, if they do the inside of the car or the outside of the car, if they do paint. I like to have a variety of choices.”
Givens also had been walking around and visiting with organizations. She said she’s interested in welding programs. Even though she has an offer for employment after graduation, she’s keeping her options open, depending on whether she wants to stay in the area.
“I look for longevity and for options like a 401(k) and vacation time,” Givens said. “I’m also looking for projects that I would want to do.”
With her plans in place, Washom hopes the fair helps students from the region determine their options after graduation.
Michelle Cook, area supervisor for Economic Security Corp., was helping students explore options too.
Head Start is an early childhood program that works with at-risk families. Cook said the program seeks to instill good education opportunities through working with families and emphasizing the importance of involvement.
Even if students aren’t on the education path, this is an opportunity to reach young volunteers, Cook said. Head Start is instituting a new program for junior teacher aides, hiring as young as 16 years old.
“We see a lot of opportunities with young people,” Cook said. “We want to get them into the education field. This is a great place to reach them, and if nothing else, get them to volunteer in our program.”
A lot of students don’t know about the range of jobs available to them, Cook said. They come to an event like the career fair and they realize opportunities they didn’t know were available.
“I think this is a great opportunity and it expands their knowledge of what is really out there for them to do,” Cook said.
