The recent career fair at Carver High School was a success. There was a solid turnout of business people from the Triad ready to share advice with students.
Another big bit of news is the recent partnership between Business Voices and LEAD Girls of NC, a non-profit dedicated to teaching girls throughout North Carolina valuable life skills early on. Many of these skills, such as opening a checking account or balancing a checkbook, are things many students have no idea about as they enter adulthood. Founder Joy Nelson says the organization partners with local banks to teach financial literacy so that these girls are ready for the careers and responsibilities waiting for them after high school.
This program creates a team environment — something a bit like Project Runway, Nelson says. Girls are given certain goals with practice funding, and work together to see what they can come up with the accomplish the goals creatively.
Joy Nelson of LEAD Girls of NC
This program fits nicely right alongside what Business Voices is all about, and we look forward to what both organizations are able to accomplish together going forward. As Glen Coleman said in our Business Voices meeting last week, we have to be the change we want to see in the schools in the area. The government isn’t going to make these changes arbitrarily, but we’ve seen plenty of examples of local folks creating opportunity.
The career fair gives kids a big step forward in their career planning. It’s easy to think a certain career is something you’d like to do, but without knowing the steps involved to get there or even what the actual job is like each day, it’s just speculation. The students being able to talk to business people that actually work in the types of jobs each student is looking for creates the chance to ask useful questions.
If it sounds indeed like something the student wants to pursue, they can get valuable tips on what to keep in mind in preparation. Sometimes the reality of certain jobs changes students’ minds, which is also useful. Better to know early you don’t actually want to be a lawyer, for instance, if hearing about how different the job is from what you see in movies isn’t something of interest.
Glen Coleman in the midst of the career fair
Antonio McCoy of McHoward Business Coaching
Stay tuned for more updates as further career fairs in the Triad illuminate the way for students!