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Twin Cities Sophomores – Sign up now for St. Paul’s Career Connect Day

The St. Paul Area Chamber presents the inaugural Career Connect Day at St. Paul RiverCentre on October 18, 2022 — a day dedicated to career exploration for high school sophomores.

SAINT PAUL – More than 2,500 St. Paul-area high school sophomores are gearing up to attend the inaugural Career Connect Day at the St. Paul RiverCentre on October 18, 2022, where they can visit with more than 70 local businesses and nonprofit organizations and explore career pathways for their futures.

At the day-long showcase, students will gain real insight into career industries, job opportunities, and training paths to reach their goals.

“We’re excited to take part in Career Connect Day and help students envision their path beyond high school at an earlier age,” said Lindsay Tallman, Program Director for the Construction Careers Foundation. “This experience gives students permission to explore many careers and industries in Minnesota and empowers them with industry awareness that they can use to pave their own career paths.”

Tallman and representatives of Construction Careers Foundation, a Minneapolis-St. Paul-based nonprofit, will speak with students about construction apprenticeships, two- and four-year education options technical and trades skill sets, and professional careers and entrepreneurial ventures found in construction.

“Minnesota’s construction industry is experiencing a critical skills gap,” Tallman said. “We are recruiting the next generation of trades professionals and making them aware of the benefits provided by a career in construction and rounding out their knowledge and perceptions of the different types of education a person needs to enter the trades.”

Tallman added, “We’ve found many students don’t know construction is a viable career path they can take directly out of high school and we’re working in Twin Cities communities through programs like Learn2Build and the Minnesota Trades Academy summer internship to change that narrative.”

What Students Can Expect at Career Connect Day

Students will receive hands-on introduction and insights into different career paths and
employers will showcase their company and sector, as well as career pathway opportunities for students.

Students will have 90 minutes to explore career pathways and engage with a mix of local businesses and organizations in six different tracks of interest, including:

  1. Business, Management & Administration,
  2. Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources
  3. Arts, Communications & Information Systems
  4. Engineering, Manufacturing & Technology
  5. Health Science Technology
  6. Human Services

“Career Connect Day emphasizes that high school sophomores don’t have to wait to graduate to make a decision about their future career direction,” Tallman said. “They can connect with local businesses and explore ways to volunteer, intern and find mentors. We are showing young people they have the power to shape their futures now.”

Participating school districts include St. Paul, Roseville, Maplewood, North St Paul, Oakdale, Mendota Heights-West St. Paul-Eagan, South St. Paul and Inver Grove Heights.

“We have high hopes for the success of Career Connect Day. Students can meet us and more than 70 other local businesses represented at their own pace and seek us out based on their interests and questions,” Tallman said.

Sign Your Students Up Today

Career Connect Day encourages district leaders, school career counselors, and teachers to bring their high school students to connect and engage with local businesses and expose them to career options before they make decisions about post-high school education and training. For more information on Career Connect Day please email Alicia Baraga or call 651.485.3242.