09-05-2025
Over 2,000 regional students explore job pathways at Career Venture 2025
EAU CLAIRE — Local employers expected to interact with over 2,000 regional students throughout the day on Thursday, at an event that has been going on in the region for roughly 25 years.
Though the partnerships and connections have existed beforehand, this also marks the first year that the hands-on Career Venture event is hosted by the Guidance, Education and Readiness (GEAR) Program.
'It's our first year, but it's a long-staying event for middle schoolers in the area,' said Anthony Goettl, director of the GEAR Program at Northwood Technical College. 'We welcome this year 26 school districts and over 2,100 middle school students for a pre-professional exposure event. They come and they get to take part in as many hands-on activities across a variety of career clusters.'
Reflecting on when his predecessor started this event, Jon Menz, CEO of the Workforce Development Board, said, 'This became the first of its kind where we had hands-on exhibits from a multitude of different sectors so that we could get young folks in here doing hands-on experimental work or just having fun seeing what all these industries could bring. One of the big things was not just walking through a room with a bunch of signage, but being able to crawl on equipment or roll out a fire hose or whatever that looked like. Then they go back into the classroom, and they're talking about what they want to do someday when they grow up.'
The event also drives forward youth apprenticeship opportunities for students. Funding for the event comes through Title 1, which is workforce innovation and opportunity through the Department of Labor.
While the event has been an opportunity for middle schoolers, high school students from across the region also connect with employers, university staff, technical college representatives and more to learn about various career paths they can follow. Goettl said he thinks of it as a 'first-level community engagement' opportunity.
Compared to other career fairs, the size is certainly a notable highlight as a wide variety of industries, including healthcare, law enforcement, firefighting, manufacturing, food service, agriculture, consulting and more, are highlighted by more than 50 local exhibitors.
For Ian Gregorich, general manager at the Culver's off Brackett Ave. in Eau Claire, conversations were about 'how you move up from a crew member through the organization, as well as job opportunities for kids and how we can be flexible with schedules and a good job for high schoolers just starting off your job and experience.'
'I think it is awesome that all of these people are coming around for this,' he said. 'It is good for everybody to learn about every different industry and what that brings to the table.'
For Wendy Blodgett-Verdouw, talent acquisition leader at Lippert in Eau Claire, it is an amazing opportunity to connect with students so they can learn about the trades and explore career opportunities before they make big decisions about college.
'Of course you want to hire local people, and of course every parent wants their child to stay local and not move away,' Blodgett-Verdouw said about the regional coverage of the event, 'so offering them opportunities locally where they can make a decent wage and have a good career is huge for our community.'
'I think it is really fun to show how many jobs there are and what we can do in our future,' said Eden Marg, an eighth grader from Neilsville Middle School.
With the variety of tables, Gabriel Thompson, an eighth grade student from the St. Croix Central School District, said 'it makes it really interactive.'
'It allows them to make sure that at an early age, young people understand what they do and the importance of what they do,' Goettl said. 'The goal is to help kids understand education, what it takes to get to a workforce, if you need education, what level of education and probably dispel some myths and biases around particular industries as well. And quite frankly, it's a lot of fun. I think trying to educate and engage young people through the most fun means is the right way to go.'
To measure the effectiveness of an event like this, Goettl said their plan is to get feedback from school districts, students and connect with the employers at the event as well.
With the event going on, Goettl said anecdotally, 'What I'm seeing out there is a lot of smiles, a lot of fun, employers seem happy, students seem happy and ultimately I think that's step one: making sure that you are excited about the opportunity.'
