Expo exposes students to job possibilities

By St. Clair Murraine
Outlook Staff Writer

On one side of the huge exhibition hall inside of the Donald Tucker Civic Center, two barbers demonstrated how to cut hair. On the opposite side, a loquacious airplane mechanical instructor explained the inner workings of the trade.

All together more than 100 businesses were on display, showing high school students career possibilities. 

Rutledge Fuller, an aviation instructor for Lively Technical College who teaches classes at Tallahassee International Airport, was quick to get the attention of any student who stopped by his setup. 

He stood in front a plane propeller and explained that starting salary in the field could be around $37,500. He mentioned signing bonuses and how hourly pay could be as high as $63.

Fuller was hopeful that he made an impression that would prompt some students to take their inquiries further.

“Every student that gets their A and P (Airframe and power plant) license I can guarantee will have a job starting at about $90,000 a year,” Fuller said.

The Leon Works Expo, attracted about 650 high school students. They came from Leon and surrounding counties to get an up-close look at career possibilities. 

Leon County Commissioner Carolyn Cumming, State Representative Allison Tant and Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey delivered pep talks during a lunch break.

The annual event was presented by Leon County government and the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality. This was the ninth year the event took place and it has drawn over 7,000 students over the years.

The event has become more appealing, as an increasing number of high school graduates are passing on four-year colleges to opt for a trade. The expo was organized with that in mind, said Keith Bowers, Director of the Office of Economic Vitality.

“Not everyone is going to college but we want a productive workforce here,” Bowers said. “Just like connecting employers with potential employees is a huge step. These students got to talk with people who are doing the work they might have an interest in.

“Sometime they don’t have an indication what the next steps are. This is an event that bridges that gap. Also, it prepares them for interviews. This is a safe environment for them to get some training and exposure. The vendors on the other side of the table love it. This is a great opportunity for them to recruit some talent.”

Employers talked to the students about jobs, including health care, trade, business, information technology, creative, and several others. 

Big Bend Hospice was among the recruiters and its need included music therapists.

Ashley Hall was out front using her guitar to make the pitch for Big Bend Hospice. She had a message for students who are interested in music.

“A lot of people don’t realize that there are a lot of different careers that you can have in music – music education, music performance and music therapy,” Hall said. “It’s using music to help people. My goal today is to show students that have an interest having a career in music that music therapy is one the options for having a music degree.”

Jesse Dennis, a student at SAIL School, browsed near the Lively Technical College stations. He engaged the exhibitors, as he looked.

“It makes me a lot more confident that I would be able to find something,” Dennis said.

Melissa Cooper, an assistant IB coordinator at Rickards High School, suspected that many of her students will be enrolling in a four-year college. However, she was glad that the expos offered job opportunities for others.

“I like that the students are able to speak to individuals that are actually working in the profession,” Cooper said. “They can learn what a day is like in that profession, what benefits and how the job relates to them with their home-work life balance.”

 Gadsden Technical College used the expo to promote its practical nursing program. A steady flow of students stopped by, seemingly fascinated by a life-size mannequin staged as a patient.

Kelvin Washington, a nursing student at GTC, said most of the students who stopped by expressed a genuine interest in the profession.

“I think they are impressed after we talk to them about the money and the opportunity to take care of people,” he said.