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The 2023 Youth Career Expo Sets a Record!
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Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas, Exhibitors, and Sponsors hosted 3,312 students from 35 schools,
the largest number of participants since the inception of the event in 2015. The Expo, held
February 2, 2023, showcased 133 Exhibitors at Ford Park. Exhibitors were encouraged to provide
hands-on demonstrations to engage the students and generate interest in high growth/high wage
occupations in Southeast Texas. As many as 12 new Exhibitors joined the Expo. The event also
provided networking opportunities for businesses to interact with teachers, counselors, and
administrators and share their industry's need for a skilled and diverse workforce.
Natgasoline and Golden Pass LNG held demonstrations that showed the power of liquified natural
gas and methanol processes. Industry of Southeast Texas (ISET) brought their blue mobile ROBOTiC, which has
the ability to detect harmful gasses. Lamar University College of Engineering provided demonstrations
that displayed the power of kinetic energy. The Jefferson County Bar Association (JCBA) provided
local lawyers, judges, and other law professionals to share the various careers available in their
industry. International Paper representatives demonstrated paper manufacturing processes and the
connection to nature and the timber industry.
The real estate industry, requested by students surveyed in 2022, was one of the new careers
featured at the Expo. Lamar Institute of Technology, which offers a program to prepare students
to enter the real estate industry, was joined by representatives of the Board of Realtors at the
Expo to answers student's questions about sales, appraisals, finance, and potential earnings
in the field. The Greater Beaumont Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors hosted the Interview
Challenge booth where as many as 200 students interacted with business leaders to answer
questions that could be a part of an interview for a job in the real world. Southeast Texas
Building & Construction Trades Council representatives provided insight into apprenticeships
for plumbers, sheet metal and Iron workers, electricians, and pipefitters. Acadian Ambulance
Service brought their state of the are Mass Casualty Unit for students to view the technology
utilized by emergency medical specialists in crisis situations.
The Youth Career Expo is the largest student event of its kind in Southeast Texas, supported by
26 Sponsors and more than 100 volunteers. The Event's goal is to provide a platform to connect
students, the workforce of the future, to local businesses, employers, and higher-learning institutions.
Students, their parents or guardians, teachers and counselors, can realize the potential of exciting
careers, training, and educational opportunities in Southeast Texas. Businesses, training providers,
and post-secondary educational institutions were arranged by endorsements and field of study: Law,
Public Safety, and Military; STEM, Information Technology, and Arts; Education and Business; Hospitality,
Tourism, and Human Service; Construction, Skilled Crafts, and Manufacturing; Transportation, Distribution,
and Logistics, and Health Sciences.
Students received back packs containing a folder specifically designed for the Expo which listed
career resources, occupations, wage data, and educational requirements for Target Occupations in
Southeast Texas. Students were also encouraged to engage with Exhibitors via the Expo BINGO card.
Students visited the Exhibitor booths on the card. After engaging with the Exhibitors, representatives
at the booth stamped the cards. Students that successfully collected stamps received gift cards or IPODS.
Mark your calendar for Thursday, February 8, 2024, for the next opportunity to meet the workforce of
the future. For more information on becoming a Sponsor and early booth registration, please contact
us at business@setworks.org or call 409-719-4750.
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