Merritt Career Fair Connects Students and Community Members with Jobs

The official number was a whopping 268! That’s how many students and community members  attended Wednesday’s first-ever Career Fair, organized by Division II Dean Roberta Kunkel, with lots of help and support from Merritt’s faculty and staff.  The fair was divided between S.T.E.M. career employers and general job vendors. The event received great feedback from the participants and  industry partners including Gilead Sciences, Kaiser, and Life Long Medical Care.

Says Dean Kunkel: “More than a Career Fair, this event was a serious effort in workforce development by creating engaging activities along the work-based learning continuum. Between the industry presentations by faculty and industry partners, the one-on-one conversations between participants and industry experts/employers, demonstrations and hands-on laboratory learning led by students, and the Career-Fair Booklet reflection activities, the participants were able to engage in a number of different ways that have been shown to increase commitment to education and engagement in efforts toward employment at a family-supporting level of remuneration.”

This event was funded by the Foundation for California Community College Work-Based Learning grant.