Career Connect Day – and Partnerships

So I know I’m a slow learner….. but as I wrap up 6 years on the job, I’ve figured out one thing for sure: partnerships are everything. Our Career Connect Day, scheduled for October 17 at the RiverCentre, is one event that is blossoming specifically through partnerships. You see, we’ve been building on a vision: introduce high school sophomores to a wide variety of career paths, so they can make more informed decisions about what they’d like to do after graduation.  2022 was our first Career Connect Day, successful beyond our wildest imaginations due to partnerships from the “coalition of the willing”: St. Paul Public Schools, the TriDistrict, Ramsey County, Junior Achievement, Boys and Girls Clubs, and various employers who continue to serve on our planning committee. 26 schools participated, all due to individual outreach and trusted partners. 2023 will be bigger, will focus on all 3 east metro counties, and will be open to any company interested in participating. Registration to participate is now open and we invite you to join us. To learn more, click here.
 
The learning for me: how to continue to invite partnerships with other school districts, cities, counties, business organizations, and chambers as we make this opportunity widely available. Some communities within the metro are ahead of us, I think. Great work in this space already is being done. My hope is that this region-wide event, though we are jump-starting it, will belong to all of us. Across the region and, ultimately, the state. If any student – or adult – wants to explore current or future career opportunities, if any company is interested in introducing them, we want to bring them together.  
 
As far back as my own high school days and continuing today, high school juniors attend the perennial “College Day” at the Minneapolis Convention Center, during which we are introduced to various colleges and universities. I picked my alma mater, the College of St. Benedict, at my College Day back in 1980.  I spoke to a very nice young woman, they had horses on the campus….. and I was sold.  LOL.  My career path ideas didn’t extend much past the careers of adults around me. Which is one of the reasons I joined the military….
 
With that model in mind, this Career Connect Day can introduce students and adults alike to good people who look like them, who are doing cool things they enjoy learning about. Most importantly, the Day can expand minds, introduce new possibilities, help the students be more informed when they go to College Day the following year.  The two should tie together.
 
So if you’re interested in partnering, attending, volunteering, being an exhibitor, or even sponsoring, please contact us! Registrations already are open; we’ll begin promoting the event soon. I simply wanted to start with an invitation: please join us. Companies large and small show up, and we hope you will too.

Career Connect Day is an opportunity for students to interact with employers – and explore future career paths. New this year, we’re also adding a job fair for the last part of the day, during which businesses can connect with job seekers for their current hiring needs.
 
Students and adults will have the opportunity to meet and talk with people who work in the real world, in a wide array of career areas, and even try interactive activities related to those careers and find out what it takes to move toward their dream job. Join us for an inspiring day! Last year nearly 100 organizations and over 1,000 students attended. This year, we plan to grow even bigger, and already have nearly 2,000 students committed to attending!

​See you in the trenches,
B​