On March 15, CONNECT2Careers (C2C) and the San Diego Central Library hosted 357 young job seekers and 27 employers and agencies at C2C’S Annual Summer Kick-Off Job Fair. This unanticipated number of attendees represents three times the number that attended last year. The C2C team is extremely proud of these results and would like to thank all members of the community who made this event possible:
Young adults: At the heart of C2C is the youth we serve. We are extremely grateful to all 357 enthusiastic young adults who attended the fair. Some of the youth were especially eager to meet their peer job coaches in person, signaling the impact that this one-on-one interaction has on our participants. One young adult effectively summarized this impact in saying, “It’s really hard to get a job right now and I’m happy that C2C is here to help.”
Employers: We could not have attracted such a large number of young adults without the 27 exciting employers present at the fair. Many of the companies represented have multiple locations that they recruit for throughout the county, effectively maximizing the reach of the event. Several of the employers present have already partnered with C2C in the past but some of our newest partners were also present, including Vans, McDonald’s, Jimbo’s, T-Mobile and Aarrow Sign Spinners.
Parents and families: The encouragement that family members gave to hesitant young job seekers made a visible positive impact on the youths’ confidence when approaching employers. Many family members praised the job fair and C2C, with one person saying, “This event is awesome! I brought my nephew but I’m an employer and I’d like to participate in C2C.”
Youth-serving agencies: In addition to C2C’s funded partners, our network of youth-serving agencies throughout the county played a large role in letting their participants know about the opportunities at the job fair. Some agencies, such as the International Rescue Committee, even provided transportation to the job fair for their youth with barriers.
Schools: Without the assistance of the many school districts, community colleges and universities that C2C is partnered with county-wide, we could not have reached so many young job seekers. We would like to thank all the educational institutions throughout the county that shared information about this opportunity with their students.
Lastly, we would like to especially thank the San Diego Central Library. In addition to providing beautiful event space for the job fair in a centralized location for the second year in a row, our partners at the library played a crucial role in the planning and execution of the fair. They were able to provide tables and seating for all employers present, as well as complimentary parking. The success of this event is due in large part to the library’s generosity and dedication to the event.
Monnee Tong, manager of the Pauline Foster Teen Center at the Central Library, said, “The San Diego Public Library is thrilled to have CONNECT2Careers as a partner so we can bring jobs and resources to as many young adults as possible. It’s been a pleasure working with Taryell, Ernesto, Stephen, and your entire staff in providing the tools that teens need to prepare for, and find, a job. We look forward to many more C2C events at the library!”
If you are a young adult in search of employment opportunities like this job fair, sign up for C2C here. Employers interested in participating in job fairs like the C2C Summer Kick-Off Job Fair can request more information here.