On December 12, 2016 about 350 ninth grade New Bedford High school students made their way down to the Blue House cafeteria to attend the 2nd Annual 9th grade Exploratory Career Fair. The Greater New Bedford Connecting Activities Partnership and Junior Achievement helped to co-sponsor the annual “Career Academy Fair” which was a huge success. Students were engaged at the fair and had many wonderful businesses to choose from to speak with as they walked about the cafeteria.
We were lucky enough to have over 60 individuals at the Career Fair representing businesses from all different career pathways! Student had the chance to complete an assignment for class credit and spoke with employers about their past educational experience, their workforce skills and their outlook on that particular field. The Greater New Bedford Connecting Activities Partnership would like to thank each and every individual who attended the Career Fair. Your participation and effort helped inform students about career pursuits and guide students toward choosing an Academy that they will follow for the next three years!
Representatives from the Children’s Advocacy Center of Bristol County who represented the Academy of Arts and Humanities were amazed at the engagement of the students. Andrea Souza, a Forensic Interviewer at the CAC stated, “I wish I had an event like this back when I was in high school. The Career Fair is an awesome opportunity for these kids to get informed and learn more about careers that they could potentially want to pursue later in life.”
The Academy of Engineering was also well represented, with many businesses eager to engage the students with interactive materials and exhibits that were brought along with them. When asked about how he felt the Career Fair went, Ken Campanale from Tegra Medical LLC stated, “I feel the fair was a success. The students were well behaved and well prepared. They followed the questions on the assignment booklet and asked follow up questions. Some of the students who had a strong interest in the company were very conversational!”
The Greater New Bedford Connecting Activities Partnership would also like to mention that we will begin placing students in internships for the Spring semester! If any business is looking to host a high school intern or would like to just learn more information about the program, please reach out to Brenna Souza, at 508-999-5231 x29 or bsouza@newbedfordchamber.com.
About the Connecting Activities Partnership
The Greater New Bedford Connecting Activities Partnership, a collaboration of the City of New Bedford Office of the Mayor, the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board and Youth Council, Bristol Community College and The One SouthCoast Chamber of Commerce, promotes the connecting of academic and workplace learning through Connecting Activities workplace internships. Area employers assist High School seniors to make more informed decisions about their future education and career choices. Currently, we service students at Dartmouth High School, Fairhaven High School, New Bedford High School, Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School and Old Rochester Regional High School. More information about the partnership is available at www.newbedfordchamber.com or by calling (508) 999-5231.