The sky’s the limit at career fair

    Mechanic, judge, chef, hairdresser, policeman and computer technician. The sky’s the limit for career pathways, and local eighth-graders got to experience that first-hand at a career fair Wednesday, Jan. 24.
    Phillips County Event Center in Holyoke was filled with students from 10 northeast Colorado schools buzzing from one table to the next in their exploration of future career choices.
    Nearly 40 tables had representatives from a variety of industries, including:
    —Business, marketing and public administration.
    —Agriculture, natural resources and energy.
    —Science, technology, engineering, math, arts, design and information technology.
    —Hospitality, human services and education.
    —Health science, criminal justice and public safety.
    —Skilled trades and technical sciences.
    Presenters from several northeast Colorado communities chatted with the eighth-graders about what influenced them to choose that career, the education/training needed to be successful, high school classes that would be helpful and what a typical day on the job looks like.
    Keynote speaker Dawn Garcia also highlighted hot jobs and trends in northeast Colorado.
    The goal of the day was to expose students to lots of careers — careers that are available right here in northeast Colorado, said organizer Kristie Ham of Holyoke. It’s a great time for students to start thinking about career paths because high school is when they can take classes and visit businesses that could influence their careers later in life, she added.
    Ham said some of the students were very excited to get the chance to dress up and sit down to talk with real industry professionals. “You might be sitting in front of your next boss,” she told them.
    
El Pomar grant funds workforce readiness project
    Last week’s eighth-grade career fair is part of the Northeast Colorado Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Partnership.
    The Northeast Regional Council, a program of El Pomar Foundation, has granted $300,000 to Northeast Colorado BOCES for a three-year program that began in January 2017.
    The Northeast Regional Council consists of local leaders from nine northeast counties. They use their knowledge of the region to make funding recommendations to the trustees of El Pomar Foundation. This grant reflects the council’s interest in economic development and investment in youth.
    The funds will serve 12 districts in Northeast BOCES as well as the 22 districts in East Central BOCES, four districts in Morgan County and one district in Sterling.
    Don Crow is the grant manager, and Ham was hired as the grant coordinator for the northeast corner while Greg Swiatkowski serves the east central region.
    The mission and vision of the program is to “help students and their families make informed decisions through meaningful career conversations.”

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