Over 1,000 Students Participate at Annual Career Fair

Veteran operator Jason Kahaialii directed Saint Louis School student Jensen Tavai on a virtual backhoe during the Exposure Fair and Hiring Blitz on Monday at Saint Louis School Gym. At left, Amy Oshiro of Malu Productions helped a Saint Louis

School student weave lauhala as an introduction to the local entertainment industry. The event was aimed at high school and college students selecting career pathways.

Photos by George F. Lee / glee@staradvertiser.com

More than 1,100 middle school, high school, and college students from nine Honolulu schools and universities recently filled the Saint Louis School gym to explore career paths, connect with employers, and apply for real-world opportunities at the second annual Exposure Fair and Hiring Blitz.

Presented by workforce development nonprofit ClimbHI in partnership with Chaminade University and Saint Louis School, the event held on April 27 brought together more than 70 local businesses and organizations to introduce students to internships, apprenticeships, job training, and immediate employment opportunities. Designed to strengthen Hawaii’s local talent pipeline, the Exposure Fair and Hiring Blitz aimed to help students identify viable career pathways while connecting employers with future workers who want to live and work in Hawaii.

Students participated from William P. Jarrett Middle School, Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School, Saint Louis School, Kalani High School, Kaimuki High School, Kula Kaiapuni ‘O Anuenue School, Chaminade University, Kapi‘olani Community College, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Julie Morikawa, ClimbHI president, said, “We had over 70 businesses — I call them organizations — offering apprenticeships and post-secondary (programs), as well as straight to work (opportunities).”

Exposure Fairs help students in middle and high school acquire the tools and make the connections to select the career pathways that will help them reach economic self-sufficiency and achieve their dreams. The events offer prescreened businesses and organizations the ability to meet students in short “speed-dating” style segments and in informal Q&A sessions.

Hiring Blitz events are designed to expedite the hiring process for high school juniors and seniors by connecting them with available opportunities that connect students with career paths that offer economic self-sufficiency with a clear progression plan.

“All different kinds of options are there,” Morikawa said. “We’re trying to keep our kids employed and home (in Hawaii) if they want to. That’s the whole point of this.”

ClimbHI invites teachers, businesses, associations and nonprofit organizations to sign up for the free ClimbHI Bridge online portal for workforce development, classroom engagement opportunities, volunteer hour tracking, and communication tools.

For more, visit climbhi.org.