On Friday, March 18, the RCS High School launched its Career Cafe with a Manufacturing Job Fair for roughly 60 of its juniors and seniors. The job fair provided students with the opportunity to learn directly from the source what skills, attitudes, and experiences are needed for a local manufacturing job.
The job fair included some of the RCS community's largest local companies; TCI of NY, SABIC, Finke Equipment, Owens Corning, and Carver Companies. Each business gave a brief introduction of their company and what they have to offer our students either before or after graduation. The students also had the opportunity to separate into smaller groups and meet with each business individually to ask questions and gain more insight. When meeting in groups, the students could also sign up to tour the company's local facility in the near future.
“Being able to provide students with direct access to local employment information prior to them graduating is a key component of preparing our students for the working world,” said Curriculum Content Specialist for Business, FACS, Library & Technology, and Certified Work-Based Learning Coordinator Maureen Martin. “We look forward to offering more opportunities like this one in the future.”
The RCS High School opened its “Career Café'' in order to provide additional career-based opportunities, experiences, and knowledge to its students. This dynamic space is housed in the high school library and recently received updates to make the space more adaptable to the needs of our students. These updates will allow for the space to be used for work-based learning opportunities to promote our mission: to prepare our students for employment, enrollment, or enlistment. The furniture can be moved to create spaces for speakers, mini-classes on resume building, and interview strategies. A makerspace is also in development for students to explore problems and create solutions in a hands-on environment.
“We know that not every student knows what they want to be and where they want to go after they graduate, but it is our responsibility to provide them with the knowledge, skills, training, and environment where they can explore their options,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Brian Bailey. “The groundwork for this event was done in partnership with the Bethlehem Chamber of Commerce Workforce Development Committee. The more exposure we can provide to our students while coupling it with an educational experience, the more they will be ready for the ever-changing world that awaits them. "
A big thank you to all of the companies, students, and staff that were able to join us today! The Career Cafe will host more events later in the spring centered around career development.
