The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research (IALR) seeks businesses, organizations and volunteers to support the tenth annual Career ChoICE Youth Expo. This year’s expo events will be on September 20-21 in Farmville and September 27-28 in Chatham.

On September 20 and 21, the Career ChoICE Youth Expo East at Hampden-Sydney College will serve schools in Buckingham, Brunswick, Cumberland, Charlotte, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway and Prince Edward Counties. On September 27-28, the Career ChoICE Youth Expo West at the Olde Dominion Agricultural Complex in Chatham will involve schools in the following school divisions: Danville, Halifax, Henry, Martinsville, Patrick and Pittsylvania.

Through the Career ChoICE Youth Expo, students IMAGINE their potential, CONNECT with employers, and EXPLORE career possibilities. Career ChoICE connects students to regional employment information and employers through hands-on activities and virtual resources. Career ChoICE endeavors to ignite students’ imaginations to career opportunities in the region.

Thousands of students attend these annual events, which are part of an intentional effort to build a pipeline of students in strategic sectors aligned with economic development interests.

“The Career ChoICE Youth Expo exposes students of all ages to different career opportunities in our region and allows local companies to meet their future talent. We are looking for volunteers, activity providers, and sponsors to join us in helping students explore the awesome career opportunities available here in our region.” – Jessie Vernon, Advanced Learning Program Manager

“The career fair is important because it gives kids an idea of all the opportunities available right here in the community they live in.” – Amy Cole, Southern Virginia Higher Education Center

There are several ways to support the Career ChoICE Expo events in Chatham and Farmville.

Young Professional Profile

• Young professionals in the region can Submit a Young Professional Profile (or encourage a young professional to submit a profile) for the Career ChoICE website and potential inclusion in the Career ChoICE booklet.
• Profiles submitted by Aug. 18 will be considered for this year’s printed Career ChoICE booklet.

Hands-On Activities

• IALR is looking for businesses and organizations that can attend and facilitate a hands-on activity. The activities provided by business and organizational participants are what make the Expo! Businesses benefit from introducing students to their company, giving them a snapshot of what it’s like to work in different fields. 
• Activity forms must be received no later than Aug. 28 to be included on the students’ activity maps.
• Any organization that is interested in facilitating an activity but needs help developing an idea should contact jessie.vernon@ialr.org. 

Volunteer

• IALR needs volunteers to assist with welcoming students, passing out backpacks, helping groups through the Expo and ensuring things run smoothly.
• Volunteer registration deadlines: Sept. 6 for the Farmville event and Sept. 13 for the Chatham event.

Sponsor

• Sponsorships will support both Career ChoICE and AspHIRE mock interview days. As such, sponsorship levels include benefits through both programs – increasing the organization’s visibility through both the number of student participants and the number of events.
• Sponsorship commitments, logos, and ads must be received by Aug. 18 to ensure that they appear in the printed Career ChoICE booklet.