As part of our efforts toward achieving our Workforce strategic goal, our Executive Director, Emily Nicholson, is serving on the planning committee for the WNC Career Expo. The event will include a special field trip opportunity for our region’s high school students, and their accompanying teachers and counselors, to help introduce them to some of our region’s employers in high-growth industries.
What is the WNC Career Expo?
The WNC Career Expo is a one-stop opportunity for career seekers to engage with employers and explore opportunities in advanced manufacturing, technology, health care, tourism, professional services, and other high-growth industries. The event includes career readiness resources like one-on-one interview preparation and resume reviews to ensure job seekers feel confident and prepared to engage with local employers hiring now. The Spring 2024 event will be held in person at the WNC Agricultural Center’s Davis Event Center (761 Boylston Hwy, Fletcher, NC 28732) on Wednesday, April 17, 2024.
Which schools are invited to participate?
We are seeking students and accompanying educators within the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board footprint + Haywood, which includes the following districts:
- Asheville City Schools
- Buncombe County Schools
- Haywood County Schools
- Henderson County Schools
- Madison County Schools
- Transylvania County Schools
From 9:30 – 11 AM, the event will be closed to the public to allow students and educators to engage with employers. The event will be open to the public from 11 AM – 4 PM.
How can students, teachers, & counselors register for the WNC Career Expo?
Registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis and will be required for students and educators to keep track of numbers and order boxed lunches (courtesy of event sponsor Bojangles of WNC). We are able to accommodate a maximum of 350 total students, teachers, and school counselors at the Spring 2024 event. Registration for students and educators will close at end of day on Thursday, March 28.
To participate, all teachers, school counselors, and students must register in advance using one of the links below:
What will the schedule be for the student and educator part of the event?
Here is the working schedule for the high school student engagement hour at the Spring 2024 WNC Career Expo:
- 9:10 – 9:30 AM Student / teacher arrival
- 9:30 – 9:50 AM Brief remarks from participating employers
- 9:50 – 10:50 AM Students independently walk through the WNC Career Expo and meet employers
- 10:50 – 11:00 AM Students exit the Davis Event Center and pick up boxed lunches from outdoor tent
- 11:00 AM Students depart WNC Agricultural Center campus
The event will offer students the chance to engage with employers from growing industries like advanced manufacturing, health care, and hospitality.
Note: Students and educators will need to arrange transportation to and from the event.
How can teachers and counselors help their students get the most out of this event?
Before the event, we will send registered students, educators, and counselors a color-coded event map to indicate the full list of registered employers, their locations within the Expo, which registered employers are hiring for roles paying $19 per hour or more, and which employers are hiring high school students.
Ahead of the event, teachers and counselors are encouraged to ask students to review the event map and select 3 -5 employer booths they would like to visit at the WNC Career Expo, based on their interests in career fields and industries.
After the event, teachers and counselors can ask students which industries and employers they are interested in learning more about based on their career exploration experience at the WNC Career Expo.
Who are the sponsors of the Spring 2024 WNC Career Expo?
The Spring 2024 WNC Career Expo is presented by the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce* and the Mountain Area Workforce Development Board*. We are also grateful for the generous support of our sponsors – Pardee UNC Health Care*, Pratt & Whitney*, Bojangles of WNC, A-B Technical Community College*, iHeart Media, Asheville Radio Group, Advanced Business Equipment, and FASTSIGNS of Asheville.
