At a Glance
Technical College High School (TCHS) Brandywine Campus organized a Career and Training Fair for senior students.
Description
As part of a continuing effort to connect students with career opportunities, TCHS Brandywine staff organized its second Career and Training Fair for seniors in March 2018; the first event was held in spring 2017. The Career and Training Fair took place during the school day, and representatives from 87 local businesses with job openings were available to interview students. Promotional materials were provided through Chester County Intermediate Units public relations staff.
The event was designed to strengthen students interviewing skills and to make them aware of potential job or cooperative education placements. Deborah Watson, School to Career Specialist and organizer of the event said, In the past, when we would bring in industry partners to conduct mock interviews, we observed that students experienced a high level of anxiety. So we created this event to help take some of the anxiety out of the process by creating a fun atmosphere. The College and Training Fair also expanded school-to-business networking and collaboration. Brandywines instructional, administrative and support staff is responsible for initiating and maintaining frequent contact with the business community.
In preparation for the event, instructors addressed employability skills instruction, portfolio preparation and the need to dress for success with students. Students brought a scoring sheet to each interview, and employers used it to provide them feedback on their strengths and areas in need of improvement. For every completed interview, students received one raffle ticket for a chance to win donated prizes including a gift basket from Dr. Joseph OBrien, Executive Director of the Chester County Intermediate Unit.
Impact
The event, attended by 287 students, brought together the TCHS Brandywine staff and community. In total, 271 students participated in nearly 1,100 interviews by the end of the day, and a number of students received immediate job offers. Student, employer and staff feedback from both the 2017 and 2018 Career and Training Fair were positive.
Contact
Technical College High School Brandywine Campus
Mr. Dave Purdy, Assistant Principal
davep@cciu.org
Ms. Deborah Watson, School to Career Specialist
deborahwa@cciu.org