Latest news with #KidsCareerFair
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vision Together 2025 hosts career fair for Johnstown middle schoolers
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (WTAJ) — Vision Together 2025 is continuing to work with the Greater Johnstown School District to host career fairs. On Wednesday, the organization visited the Greater Johnstown Middle School and brought several companies with them, for the 'A Vision Together' Kids Career Fair. The event was designed to introduce students who are middle school-aged to local career opportunities while connecting parents with employment resources. Rob Forcey, Executive Director of Vision Together 2025, spoke about having a career fair for younger students. 'For some kids, it is too soon. I mean, it's going to take a while, and every kid develops differently and stuff like that. But if you give a kid a dream and you give them a goal at the beginning, how they get to that dream is going to be up to them,' Forcey said. Pennsylvania lawmaker proposes changes to Penn State Board of Trustees Lyric and Milan Cohen are sisters and students at the middle school. They attended Wednesday's career fair. Lyric hopes to go into the Air Force or become a Basketball player. Milani wants to pursue a career in the culinary field. They said the career fair gave them ideas and helped to push them in the right direction. 'I learned that you don't always need to choose one option. You have other options,' Angelo Owens, a fifth grader said. Students were also given bags filled with employment resource packets to take home to their parents. It ensures parents have access to valuable job opportunities and career advancement tools within the local workforce. 'We're trying to make it for all three schools so that students have a better awareness, like what skills and abilities are needed and what jobs are available here in the community, and just try to educate our students so that they are able to make a better decision what they want to do with their life, and what they need to do, to be successful,' Eddie Mikesic, College Career & Military Readiness Coordinator at the Greater Johnstown School District said. Forcey said the organization is working to get funding so they can expand to six other school districts in the area and continue the career fairs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
'We want them to stay': Vision Together 2025, Greater Johnstown School District host career fair for elementary students
JOHNSTOWN, PA. – An interactive event designed to educate youngsters on career opportunities in their own backyard was offered at an area school. Vision Together 2025, in partnership with the Greater Johnstown School District, held its 'I Have a Dream' Kids Career Fair Thursday at Greater Johnstown Elementary School. In honor of Black History Month, the career fair embraced Martin Luther King Jr.'s iconic 'I Have a Dream' message, emphasizing opportunity and success for all. 'We have local organizations and businesses coming together to teach kids about the different careers in the area,' said Mercedes Barnette, community development director for Vision Together 2025. 'The kids career fair is for elementary school students, and we're getting them at the earliest stage possible so when they go to a real career fair they'll know the ins and outs of it. It also sets them up for a successful future.' On hand were representatives from Conemaugh Health System, Johnstown Fire Department, H.F. Lenz Co., JWF Industries, Johnstown Children's Museum, Johnstown Redevelopment Authority, Aetna and Johnstown Housing Authority. To further promote literacy, pupils received a gift bag with books, and participated in storybook readings with guest characters, which was provided by the Cambria County Library. 'At Vision Together 2025, we have seven priorities and our first one is focusing on investing in our youth and this was the perfect way to do that,' Barnette said. 'I'm hoping these students know they have supporters here and there's local companies here that they can easily transition to whenever they're ready to start working. I hope they'll be inspired and know they can be whatever they want to be.' Fourth-grader Payton Goldberg called the career fair 'cool.' 'We got to see a lot of stuff,' she said. 'I got to learn about different jobs that I didn't know about. It's helping me to get ready for a job.' Leilani Farmer said she enjoyed hearing about the job opportunities. 'It's really cool to learn about this stuff,' the fourth-grader said. 'I want to become an artist and paint and do digital art.' Kurt Hoffman, principal of Greater Johnstown Elementary School, said holding the career fair and having the students get excited about local careers is imperative. 'We want them to stay in Johnstown and be community changers,' he said. 'It's 100% important to reach them at a young age because that's where the vision and the hope starts and where the motivators happen. They're starting to think about what they want to be, so to bring that in front of them is exciting.' Hoffman is hopeful students will know they can be anything they choose to be. 'Whatever they dream they can achieve, and we can help them along the way to learn the skills necessary to launch them into their futures,' he said. Kelly Urban is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. She can be reached at 814-532-5073. Follow her on Twitter @KellyUrban25.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vision Together 2025, Greater Johnstown School District to hold career fair
JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – An event meant to spark curiosity and future aspirations in youngsters will be held at an area school. Vision Together 2025, in partnership with the Greater Johnstown School District, will present the 'I Have a Dream' Kids Career Fair from 9:25 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Thursday in the gymnasium at Greater Johnstown Elementary School, 196 Westgate Drive, Johnstown. The event is designed to introduce district pupils to local career opportunities while connecting parents with employment resources. In honor of Black History Month, the career fair embraces Martin Luther King King Jr.'s iconic 'I Have a Dream' message, emphasizing opportunity and success for all. 'This career fair is not just about inspiring children, it's about creating real opportunities for families in our community,' said Mercedes Barnette, community development director for Vision Together 2025. 'By exposing students to different careers early on, and providing parents with employment resources, we're working toward a stronger, more connected Johnstown.' The fair aims to educate pre-kindergarten and elementary school-aged children about various career paths through interactive, hands-on activities. 'We want to introduce kids to local professions and provide them with activities so they can understand what the careers are and provide them with a little bit of motivation to have a successful career later in life,' Barnette said. 'With Vision Together 2025, we have priority goals that we focus on and our first one is developing current and future leaders and investing in our youth, so we want to get them as young as possible to try to mold our young leaders minds to start thinking success now.' The career fair also has a goal of creating community connections. 'That will strengthen the ties between local employers, educational institutions and families to address some of the economic challenges that we're having,' Barnette said. In addition, students will be given employment resource packets to take home, ensuring parents have access to valuable job opportunities and career advancement tools within the local workforce. On hand will be nine area companies who will showcase their industries in a way that will excite and engage youngsters. 'They will be providing presentations that the kids can understand,' Barnette said. 'The activities will help them learn while having fun.' To further promote literacy, pupils will receive a gift bag with books, and participate in special storybook readings with guest characters throughout the day, which will provided by the Cambria County Library. Barnette said the plan is to expand the career fair into additional schools, along with hosting public events for children and adults. 'The biggest thing is learning about what occupations are out there,' she said. 'I hope we can mold their minds to start thinking careers now so that when they get to high school and experience career fairs they'll understand the concept. It's giving them a jump start to a successful future.'
