DAYTON — Hundreds of high school sophomores visited UD Arena today to tour interactive booths showcasing a variety of careers they can choose to pursue after they graduate.
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Over 30 interactive booths representing more than 4,200 Montgomery County employees exposed students from Dayton Public Schools to jobs they didn’t know existed.
Montgomery County Commissioner Carolyn Rice said the idea for the fair came over the summer during a conversation with DPS Superintendent Dr. David Lawrence.
“Montgomery County has never done this. This isn’t just a normal job fair. This is an experience fair,” Rice said.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 5:30, students were able to interact at booths inside the arena and go outside to see the different equipment the county uses for construction and mobile services.
“There’s real opportunities for [students] that they never thought about right here in their neighborhood,” Rice said.
Montgomery County Director of Workforce Development Marvene Mitchell Cook said that as a kid, she didn’t know her current job title existed.
She hopes this career fair will open students’ eyes to the job opportunities available to them in Dayton.
“We always go to school districts and we ask them, ‘What is your career goal? What is your choice?’ But now we’re taking it a step further by doing interactions,” Cook said.
Rice said she hopes this fair is one they can host annually to continue to show Dayton students what career paths are possible in their hometown.
“To me, this is just the beginning. I hope this will be the first of many to come,” Rice said.
“We want everybody to stay, love and live in Dayton, Ohio,” Cook said.
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