Guiding Our Future’s Success at the Bellmont Career Fair Event

On an early November Friday morning, you can hear the birds faintly chirping in the distance while feeling the hint of crispness in the air at the Bellmont High School parking lot. As the AWMA members enter the school’s doors, the peaceful calm of the morning’s tranquility fades into the sounds of students talking in the school’s gymnasium as they interact with local companies and institutions.

Things appear to be in full throttle at the Bellmont Career Fair. This gathering marks the sixth year of this event, the biggest attendance for vendors and organizations. “Today, we have 75 tables set up. The students are very excited. We gave them a pdf of participating companies and institutions, including their website and hiring information,” explains Sean Faurote, Bellmont High School’s Counselor.

Faurote explains before this event. These students spent a week and a half researching which tables they would like to visit. And today, these students go around and interact with these organizations.

All types of companies and institutions were at this event, from local manufacturing and construction to universities, local law enforcement, and the military.

AWMA’s Executive Director, Joe Elkins, explains that the state of Indiana has the three-Es, for the student to consider before graduation. Employability is for the students who want a job right out of high school; the second is Enrollment for students going to a trade school or a four-year institution. The last is Enlistment for students to join the military. All three of these E’s are represented at this event.

Many local manufacturing companies we’re excited to meet with these students and talk with them about career opportunities. Brenda Funk, Human Resources Manager for Wayne Metals, explains, “our goal is to give them the knowledge to take the next step.”

Many of these local employees and educators understand the importance and difficulty these students face when deciding on a career path. “We must let the younger generation know what is out there. When I was younger, I didn’t know what I wanted to be when I was growing up, and I didn’t realize the options of what to do with my career,” says Caleb Smith, Automation Assembly Supervisor for Micromatic, LLC. “This event helps these students as much as it helps us. I love seeing the young talent at this event.”

Jason Egly, Industrial Tech Instructor for Bellmont High School explains, “I start with a prospective student and tell them about myself, how I learned these skills, and how this has helped me throughout my life. By showing students what I have done, they ask questions.”

Many of the companies were impressed with the student’s conversations. Priscilla Garcia, Human Resources Generalist at Red Gold said, “These kids are asking good questions. We find that people don’t know that we’re hiring, and they don’t even know what we do. We want to put ourselves at the forefront of students' minds.”

Hoosier Pattern’s Human Resources Manager Laurie Mrvos explains, “We have some very engaged students that asked intelligent questions. At Hoosier Pattern, we offer excellent opportunities with on-the-job training. We also love getting kids through the machine trades program. These students come to Hoosier with quite a bit of knowledge because they have chosen this field and have worked towards this goal even as high school students.”

“For us, as machinists, we touch everything. I constantly challenge students to think of one thing that machinists have not touched, and no one has yet been able to beat me on that,” says Jerod Dailey, South Adams / Area 18 Machine Trades Instructor.

“These students are definitely into the pay,” said David Theye, Briner Building Small Job Superintendent and Safety Director. Theye continues, the students want to know the kind of work we do and the customers we serve. Students are also interested in what opportunities are out there.

At Briner, you can climb the ladder or go places without a college degree. Although they must learn the trade and the industry, have a good work ethic, and be willing to improve themselves.

Dailey emphasizes pay is a key factor in the machine trades profession, “I have had past students that went through an apprenticeship program making over $100,000 per year, without a college degree and no debt. Their employers paid for all the training and were paid while going through the program.”

“In my opinion, that’s a no-brainer,” smiles Dailey.