Career fairs at the Golden Isles College and Career Academy are just as much for the employers as they are for the students who attend the job training school.
GICCA gives high school students a chance to start learning a trade early or begin their journeys into professions in the hospitality and medical fields, among others. On Wednesday, the school hosted a career fair to connect students with potential employers, establish contacts and let students ask questions about their chosen field.
“That’s what (the students) are missing, is how to find that first job,” said Joseph Depenhart, GICCA’s principal.
Students from Brunswick High School and Glynn Academy are the bulk of the school’s student body, he said. The ones interested in taking one of the academy’s professional pathways split their time between regular high school classes and GICCA’s lessons, which are targeted at training students in the most high-demand fields.
Organizations staffed booths in one of GICCA’s conference rooms, with those representing ranging from Georgia Power and the Sea Island Co. to the Glynn County Fire Department, King & Prince Seafood and Coastal Greenery, among many other government agencies and local businesses.
It’s not just the potential employees who benefit. Finding help is hard in nearly every sector, said GICCA CEO Brian Weese. With employment at its current low levels, most people who want jobs have them, he said. That’s why governments and businesses are keen to be part of career fairs, because it’s an opportunity to tap a source of fresh talent.
“Some kids don’t know how to dream big,” he said. “They think they have to be a doctor, a lawyer or a teacher, but there’s so many more opportunities.”