The Third Annual Worlds of Work Career Expo exceeded expectations for first-timer employers like John Trombetta.
His company is Terracon, a Tallahassee-based engineering firm that provides geotechnical services, environmental site assessments and construction materials engineering and testing.
Trombetta, the company’s senior client development specialist, said he was impressed by the caliber of interactive exhibits and inquiries from the event’s ninth-grade students. For the first time this year, the two-day event also was opened to the community and that allowed older high-schoolers, college students and residents to experience a career expo like no other.
Trombetta said he and his team conducted on-site interviews with some residents, who had already earned advanced degrees and may be an excellent fit for the company’s niche needs.
“We had a couple of really good candidates come by,” he said. “It’s just a matter of keeping that conversation going and connecting them with the right people within our company … Hopefully it will lead to employment.”
WOW is hosted by the Talent Development Council. Formed in 2021, the council is made up of leading education and workforce organizations that have created a strategic plan to address local job needs. Some of the council’s stakeholders include CareerSource Capital Region, Leon County Schools and the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economic Vitality.
This year’s event was also expanded to include more students from surrounding counties, including Liberty, Madison and Taylor counties for the first time.
Corrie Melton, vice president of Membership & Talent Development for the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce and member of the Talent Development Council, said this year’s event was the largest one yet with more than 130 employers and about 200 visitors from the community.
She said the community component attracted families who wanted to expose their children to potential careers at an early age and people looking for second jobs and career changes. Many participants came with resumes in hand.
One interactive example was Masonry Inc., which built an on-site wall to illustrate some of its work.
“They can see it. They can feel it. They can try it,” said Melton of the students and others. “If they like it, they can interview. Meanwhile, the employer can actually see this person interacting with others and kind of get a sense of who they are and what their personality is like. It’s a mutual benefit.”
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: North Florida Worlds of Work Career Expo draws more students, employers
Reporting by TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
