https://www.kake.com/story/50642569/career-fair-at-maize-helps-students-find-local-jobs-after-graduation
MAIZE, Kan. (KAKE) - The Maize school district recognizes that college isn’t in the cards for every graduating senior. That’s why they offered a job fair showcasing careers you may not even need a degree for.
Twenty-five different local businesses took a trip to Maize today to meet with high school seniors about future career opportunities.
“I was very surprised at how many students were interested in our kind of work. It’s kinda niche, difficult stuff to learn about and I think there were a lot of students who were really engaged and wanted to know about the work we do,” said Emmett Joseph, HR at Vermillion Inc.
Joseph was representing Vermillion Incorporated, a local aerospace parts company, when he connected with students about entry level positions that are available.
“It’s really important because not everyone wants to go to college. Some people just want to go out. I mean they just want to go out and get right to it to see what they love,” said Holden Denny, a Maize student.
Denny networked with many businesses at the fair trying to find something to match his passions of firefighting and welding. Within minutes of attending the fair, he was able to secure a job interview with Spirit Aerospace for this weekend.
“Some of the jobs here, I didn’t even know that Spirit had welding opportunities but they have exactly what I’m looking for,” said Denny.
Maize partnered with the Workforce Alliance to make this happen with the goal of connecting kids with local careers.
“I’m not like a college person. I’m more of a hands on. So I’m trying to find something I can do right out of high school whether that’s an apprenticeship or a job- anything like that,” said Jack Hudson, a Maize student.
“Career fairs are really important simply because they give you the chance to really see what’s out there. Half of these companies I’ve never heard of before until I got here and got to talk with them and see what they’re about,” said Fern Banuelos, another Maize student.