Career Expo for Belleville students isn’t your typical career fair. Here’s why
Belleville high school-aged students and their families can soon learn about various careers through hands-on exploration, not just through mere exposure.
Belleville Township High School District 201 is hosting its third Career Expo at The Center for Academic and Vocational Excellence (CAVE) from 4-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Through virtual reality, dance lessons, flight simulators, interactive demonstrations and more, students can experience what the day-to-day is like for over 90 exhibitors.
“Students learn what they might want to do in the future best by exploring,” Belleville District 201 Superintendent Marshaun Warren said. “We want them to take advantage of so many career professionals in one place at one time.”
This focus on experiential learning is what makes the Career Expo different from the average career fair, Warren explained.
So does its scope — there will be exhibitors from the seven main career pathways, also known as career clusters.
They include: agriculture, food and natural resources; arts and communications; finance and business services; health sciences and technology; human and public services; information technology; and manufacturing, engineering, technology and trades.
The vast majority of these exhibitors are local, including multiple Southwestern Illinois College Programs, Belleville Books, St. Clair County Farm Bureau, Tinney Tool and Machine Co., STL Rhythm Collaborative, Illinois State Police and Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, the latter of which has a large presence in the St. Louis Area and is a CAVE partner.
“We are very lucky to be in a community with so many generous professionals who will share their time with our students and their families,” Warren said.
There will also be a resume workshop with SWIC Career Services and another on how to leverage social media in networking and job searches, career cluster experts, games and Soulcial Kitchen food trucks.
Registering on the Expo’s website, bit.ly/47nV7tJ, by Friday is encouraged but is not required unless a student needs transportation from their home campus, Warren said. Families and students can attend without registering.