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Teens need summer jobs, and businesses have open positions to fill. Volusia County Schools’ Pop-Up Job Fair for Teens was the solution.
Fifteen businesses and 250 students attended the Job Fair for Teens at University High School in Orange City on June 9. A second job fair was held the same day at Mainland High in Daytona Beach, where 100 teens attended and 23 businesses were represented.
VCS Superintendent Dr. Scott Fritz wanted to offer the job fairs because local businesses are struggling to find employees and students would love to gain job experience and earn some extra money.
“This was a great opportunity to quickly connect employers with energetic and enthusiastic teens,” he said.
VCS students indeed were excited about the opportunity. They filled the University High cafeteria, talking to employers, filling out applications and, for some, learning about the hiring process for the very first time. Some students were hired on the spot.
Businesses attending included restaurants, grocery stores, a drugstore, manufacturers, attractions, health care systems, and nursing homes. AdventHealth, the official health care partner of Volusia County Schools, was also recruiting volunteers.
VCS Manager of Strategic Partnerships Kelly Amy, who organized the job fairs, said both were successful.
“We were very happy with the turnout, and we had positive feedback from students, parents and businesses,” Amy said. “This will be a yearly event moving forward. We appreciate the businesses for providing opportunities to help our students become college- and career-ready, and we will continue to work with the local business community to identify ways we can support the economic growth of our community.”
In addition to the job fairs, Volusia County Schools has created a website to help teens find employment opportunities on an ongoing basis: www.vcsedu.org/community-information-services/job-opportunities-teens.
The site lists dozens of open jobs and how to apply for them. It also has information about upcoming job fairs and a free virtual résumé review. VCS works closely with CareerSource Flagler-Volusia, which provides the job listings and information about future job fairs. CareerSource also does the résumé reviews.
For adults looking for jobs, Volusia County Schools has career opportunities for teachers, bus drivers and attendants, School Way Café and paraprofessionals. Current vacancies can be found at www.vcsedu.org/employment.
