Reaching Out: BCC students network with local business leaders at school's first career fair
The purpose of the day was to help connect young adults with area employers and prepare them to enter the workforce.
The outcome was Buckeye Career Center students networking with local business leaders and having the opportunity to interact with more than 45 different businesses during a school-wide job fair.
During the New Philadelphia vocational school’s first ever career fair — BCC Career Connections — students were first exposed to 17 speakers from area businesses that preached about their individual career fields and necessary job skills.
The keynote speaker Friday was Jason Baker, engineering manager for Tusco Display in Gnadenhutten. Baker, who graduated from Buckeye Career Center in 1997, offered personal anecdotes to students sitting in the same seats he occupied 18 years ago.
“I gave them a little insight on my path from a student where they were sitting through my different titles at Tusco, and continuing my education at Kent State University at Tuscarawas,” he said.
Baker graduated from Kent State Tuscarawas in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in engineering technology.
While Baker was attending Buckeye Career Center, he began working part-time for Tusco Display in 1997, beginning his career there as a technician. He later worked his way up the ranks as a project manager, design engineer and eventually to his current position as engineer manager.
Baker also spoke on job interviewing pointers — being prepared, presentable and confident. He described his presentation to students Friday morning as encouraging because of how many kids are still involved in vocational studies.
“There’s just enormous opportunities for them our there right now,” Baker said.
‘REACHING OUT’
Superintendent Bob Alsept described the BCC Career Connections as “a full day of employment preparation for the Buckeye students. It’s a day of benefit for all of our students.”
He explained that each business and organization has to pay $100 to participate in the career fair, with all the money going towards scholarships offered by the Buckeye Career Center Foundation.
“We’re hoping and counting on this to be the first of an every-year event,” Alsept said.
In 2014, the foundation gave 20 graduating seniors each a $2,500 scholarship. The scholarships are intended to help the recipients prepare for a job or put towards a college education.
Alsept credited Special Education Coordinator Adam Hall and Administrative Assistant Heather Coletti for organizing Friday’s speakers. The career fair was organized by Ohio Billing CEO Terri Davis and Pam Sprowls, who works with business development.
Davis and Sprowls said the idea for a career fair began two years ago and they’ve been organizing the event since September.
“Basically, diligently, we were reaching out to (employers) every week,” Sprowls said.
There was a lot involved in the process of organizing the career fair, including meeting with the school and coordinating with area businesses.
“There was a lot of reaching out,” said Davis, who is a 1982 graduate of Buckeye Career Center.
STUDENTS BENEFIT
Senior Robyn Ruhd wants to pursue a career in nursing, specifically working in pediatrics and oncology. She said the career fair Friday gave her the opportunity to talk with people related to the medical field.
“We get to go and talk to the hospitals and see what they’re hiring,” Ruhd said. “They’re telling us what’s beneficial.”
Lauren Schleappi, a senior, was with Ruhd at the career fair. Schleappi is looking to go into a medical career and work as an X-ray technician. Going around and talking with representatives from different hospitals exposes her to possible jobs.
“It kind of aids me to find where I could be working in the next couple years,” she said about the career fair. “It helps you see your future. I am also looking for a summer job, so it helps (with that), too.”
Trinity Hospital Twin City was one of the area hospitals at the career fair and Dietary Director Jeannine Milburn was there to talk to students about jobs in the hospital’s food services.
“We’re just broadening our horizons,” she said. “(Buckeye) has got a great culinary program here. We’re looking for nice, young new talent that’s not afraid to step outside of the box a little bit.”
Milburn graduated from Buckeye in 1981.
One thing, though, Milbrun said is students visiting the hospital’s table asked questions about many areas of job opportunities, but most were targeted towards medicine.
“I would say the medical assisting, or STNA, have been positions asked about the most,” said Bianca Love, human resources coordinator for the hospital. “We’re trying to just put our name out to the young people so that they’ll remember us when they’re entering the job market.”
Reach Alex at 330-364-8314 or alex.knisely@timesreporter.com.
On Twitter: @akniselyTR
