Lock Haven University hosted the Spring 2023 Gov’t, Non-Profit, Social & Environmental Services Career Expo for students on March 8 in the Durrwachter Alumni Conference Center.
Twenty-one different employers attended the event including the Pennsylvania State Police, Milton Hershey School, Family Care Home Health Agency LLC, and YMCA Camp Tockwogh. Over 30 students attended with hopes of creating networking relationships with the various organizations.
All of the participating companies and associations offered goodies to the students along with pamphlets and brochures detailing additional information.
Sophomore Communication major Alison Rancont expressed the necessity of job fairs: “A lot of students are so focused on school work, they forget to think about what comes next. Even if there’s nothing there for a particular student, it’s still an excellent networking opportunity,” she said.
Job fairs also provide the possibility of meeting organizations that people are unaware of. Making connections with the companies may even lead to future life and employment possibilities that were once unavailable or unfathomable to students.
Wren Fritsky, the director for Career and Professional Development at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania, contributed to the event by reaching out to students and informing them about the career expo.
She listed many reasons as to why job fairs are important, “You get to create relationships with the employer and vice versa.” Fritsky also mentioned, “If you don’t have a major, you can come to these events to find careers you’re interested in.”
Another key point Fritsky noted was that some careers are based on one’s skill, not education. Enrolling in a college or university is one path through life, but not the only path.
Two additional job fairs will be held at the end of March. The first one is virtually scheduled for March 27 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and concentrates on nursing careers. The second job fair, “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Expo,” will be held on March 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students interested in attending a future job fair held at Bloomsburg, Lock Haven, or Mansfield universities can sign up online through Handshake.
