Career fair will connect Hempfield students, employers

Upperclassmen at Hempfield Area High School looking to enter the workforce after graduation will have an opportunity to connect with local businesses during a job fair this week.

The Spartan Connections Career Fair featuring about 50 local businesses is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday in the high school field house.

“I think that it’s just a great opportunity for students and businesses alike to connect, especially in this day and age where people are looking to get into work and businesses are looking for workers,” said school board member Jerry Radebaugh.

The goal of the event is to connect employers with students who are looking to start working directly out of high school, while also teaching students about careers available in the local economy, said school counselor Sara Lang. The fair also will help to connect employers with juniors participating in career exploration programs next year.

Those programs permit students to attend their core classes and then leave school to work. On average, students work about 15 hours per week.

“Why not get these work-study students into a career path job at the beginning of 12th grade, where they can go straight into the workforce and have all the training?” Radebaugh said.

The other goal is to promote Westmoreland County as a viable place to live and work, Lang said.

Conversations around how to keep younger generations in the region have been ongoing for years, with the county recording steep population declines over the past several decades. A 2018 comprehensive plan tackles shrinking populations in the county while leaning on several possible solutions, such as promoting skilled labor and bolstering jobs.

“There’s an enormous amount of opportunities for students here and we are fortunate enough to have some great employers (offering) strong wages even to start,” said State Rep. Eric Nelson, R-Hempfield. “It’s just developing that young person’s skill set.”

For Lang, promoting businesses within Westmoreland not only helps the county, but allows students to “gain meaningful experiences and employment opportunities.”

The career fair is hosted by the district in conjunction with Nelson and the Westmoreland County Chamber of Commerce.

According to Lang, employers attending the event come from industries including manufacturing, health care, entertainment, skilled trades, social services and more.

“We’re back to the point now where college isn’t for everyone and we want to provide opportunities for kids to have a career path,” Radebaugh said.