Perham High School, in collaboration with some of Perham’s largest employers, is hosting its first ever Job Fair.
Intended to connect the town’s young talent to career opportunities with local companies, the fair will be held next Monday, April 22 from 8-11:30 a.m.
The event will be free of charge and open to all Perham High School and Area Learning Center juniors and seniors, as well as graduates currently seeking employment.
Representatives from KLN Family Brands, Kit Masters, Arvig and Perham Health will be giving presentations about their companies and various employment opportunities. Blake Minge, owner of The Cactus, will give a presentation on small business ownership and working in hospitality.
Reps from area colleges and workforce centers, along with other vendors, will also be on site.
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The event falls in line with the national “Dream It. Do It.” campaign, which encourages community partnerships to attract and recruit a qualified manufacturing workforce.
The Perham Job Fair, however, is not intended to be only about manufacturing. It will also encompass the fields of health care, technology, hospitality and others; and as the event grows in years to come, it’s expected to continue to expand its scope even further.
According to Perham High School Principal Ehren Zimmerman, local businesses had been talking with the school for years about doing something like this. They recently came together again, decided that the time was right, and made it happen.
The businesses know what their employment needs are, Zimmerman said, and they feel they can provide good work opportunities for graduates “right in their own backyard.” This event gives local businesses a chance to share those opportunities with students in a direct and face-to-face, yet informal way.
It also gives students the chance to explore a multitude of career options through a relatively quick, easy and engaging venue, while allowing them to apply things learned in school.
Business class students, for example, have learned how to interview well and put together a good resume. At the Job Fair, they can test these skills out on potential employers.
“It helps generate a purpose for what we do every day,” said Zimmerman of the Job Fair. “It also exposes kids to their options, and shows what our resources are in this town.”
The Job Fair is intended to be a learning opportunity for students, as well, helping them to search and navigate the job market.
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Students will be able to attend three different 25-minute sessions with employers of their own choosing, and then will come together in the auditorium for a closing presentation. There will also be prize drawings throughout the event.
“Most of this is generated around manufacturing,” said Zimmerman. “But we’ve spread it out because there are a lot of different kinds of kids, with different desires… This is our first go at it. I’d like to see it expand in years to come. Next year, I’d like to have a speaker in every classroom, all day long.”
After the Job Fair, and until the end of the school year, open summer and entry-level positions at local businesses will be posted at the high school.
