A Door County High School Job fair organized and co-hosted by the Door County Economic Development Corporation, Northeast Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship program and CESA7 featured 43 businesses and attracted more than 500 students Wednesday, March 29, at Stone Harbor Resort & Conference Center in Sturgeon Bay.
“This was the first time our organization has coordinated this event, and we’re really pleased with how well it was received by our area businesses and schools,” said Korey Mallien, DCEDC marketing and communications director. “The goal of the event was to help our area businesses and working-age students connect for summer employment, part-time employment and youth apprenticeship opportunities. It was also a great way for businesses to share their brand and simply have a discussion with students about the many opportunities and career paths that exist for them beyond high school right here in Door County. Career-awareness is an important step to help attract and recruit the next generation of workers in our community.”
In a post-event survey, businesses reported distributing many applications and receiving applications on-site from sophomore and junior students from Gibraltar, Sturgeon Bay, Sevastopol and Southern Door schools. N.E.W. Industries and Marine Travelift/ExacTech reported distributing at least 100 applications each.
Christine Conlon of N.E.W. Industries said the event was “excellent” and helped build upon the school manufacturing tours that DCEDC has been coordinating annually since 2018.
“The tours at our location are great to show live what we do,” said Conlon, N.E.W. Industries director of human resources. “But this event was so much better to have conversations with the students.”
The job fair also provided youth apprenticeship connections for students, Mallien said. YA has grown throughout the area and the entire state, with Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship program reaching a record of more than 6,400 youth apprentices and more than 4,500 employers during the 2021-2022 school year, according to statistics provided by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
“The Northeast Wisconsin Youth Apprenticeship program (NEWYA) is very grateful for the partnerships that it has in Door County, and their commitment to the students of Door County,” said Lauren Baumann, NEWYA school-based coach. “As a consortium we are also committed to helping area businesses with the workforce issue occurring countywide and beyond in supplying them with student candidates that will hopefully grow into full-time employees upon graduation.”
Students who met with five separate businesses during the event could enter their names into a raffle, which featured more than 80 prizes donated by the participating businesses.
Watch this photo slide show to see all of the businesses that participated in the job fair: