How Career Expo Can Help Your Students
By Lisa Butler | January 2018
Career exploration is an important part of our job as school counselors. The Blount County school counselors gave a presentation at the 2017 ALCA Conference in Mobile about their annual Career Expo and events leading up to it. Career exploration starts in elementary school. It is imperative to get young children thinking about the future and how they have a responsibility to their communities and themselves. Our elementary counselors provide excellent classroom guidance involving careers to get students talking about what they want to be when they grow up, responsibilities involved and jobs available. Once students are in middle and high school, the career exploration evolves into a more in-depth look at what careers are, what steps are necessary for students to achieve personal career goals and skills needed to remain successful in those careers.
Each year since 2013, the Blount County Career Expo has showcased the many types of careers available to students of Blount County and Oneonta City Schools. Blount County school counselors assist in recruiting professionals to participate in the Career Expo. The working world is rapidly changing and what better way to prepare our young people than to have area and regional professionals discuss critical career information with these students? All 10th graders from Blount County and Oneonta City Schools meet each year at the Blount County-Oneonta Agri-Business Center where business owners share information about workforce needs and awareness. Shortly before the Expo, counselors and career coaches go into 10th-grade classrooms where students complete surveys to assess their current knowledge of careers, jobs, etc. After the event, counselors and career coaches do post surveys to assess if and how students’ mindset has changed since attending the Expo.
A Career Expo exhibitor sets up his display.
The Career Expo is a fun, educational and hands-on experience for students to become familiar with careers. Business and industrial leaders, workforce developers, military recruiters, career center representatives, high school counselors and administrators, career coaches and representatives from Wallace State Community College and Jacksonville State University work together to offer our students a successful transition to life after high school.
A student explores the power lines exhibit.
Our next career expo is scheduled for Tuesday, April 24, 2018. If you are interested in attending or would like more information, please contact Karron Standridge at kstandridge@blountboe.net, Susan Parker at sparker@blountboe.net or Lisa Butler at lbutler@blountboe.net.
Lisa Butler, EDS, LPCS, NCC, is ALSCA historian. Contact her at lbutler@blountboe.net.
A school counselor tries a hands-on station at the Career Expo.
Each year since 2013, the Blount County Career Expo has showcased the many types of careers available to students of Blount County and Oneonta City Schools. Blount County school counselors assist in recruiting professionals to participate in the Career Expo. The working world is rapidly changing and what better way to prepare our young people than to have area and regional professionals discuss critical career information with these students? All 10th graders from Blount County and Oneonta City Schools meet each year at the Blount County-Oneonta Agri-Business Center where business owners share information about workforce needs and awareness. Shortly before the Expo, counselors and career coaches go into 10th-grade classrooms where students complete surveys to assess their current knowledge of careers, jobs, etc. After the event, counselors and career coaches do post surveys to assess if and how students’ mindset has changed since attending the Expo.
A Career Expo exhibitor sets up his display.
The Career Expo is a fun, educational and hands-on experience for students to become familiar with careers. Business and industrial leaders, workforce developers, military recruiters, career center representatives, high school counselors and administrators, career coaches and representatives from Wallace State Community College and Jacksonville State University work together to offer our students a successful transition to life after high school.
A student explores the power lines exhibit.
Our next career expo is scheduled for Tuesday, April 24, 2018. If you are interested in attending or would like more information, please contact Karron Standridge at kstandridge@blountboe.net, Susan Parker at sparker@blountboe.net or Lisa Butler at lbutler@blountboe.net.
Lisa Butler, EDS, LPCS, NCC, is ALSCA historian. Contact her at lbutler@blountboe.net.
A school counselor tries a hands-on station at the Career Expo.