From moving furniture with College Hunks to serving breadsticks at Olive Garden, there are countless job opportunities for high school students in the North Penn community. On Thursday, April 27th, North Penn High School hosted a Career Expo and Job Fair to present students with employment opportunities during and after high school.

Organized by Mr. Christopher Frey, the job fair featured about 50 potential career options for students. This is the second annual job fair hosted at North Penn High School where students could interact with different companies and gain a feel for what a day in the life of certain careers would look like.

“I found myself going to job fairs, now job fairs are usually people trying to get jobs, but I would walk around and talk to the companies about what we were doing and they seemed very interested in North Penn students,” Frey explained.

Moving from last year to this, many things have changed around North Penn. As things finally begin to return to normal students are looking for many different types of jobs. Post-high school careers paths like Merck and car dealerships were featured at the event as well as jobs that students could gain helpful experience from right now.

“Probably the most important thing was maintaining relationships with these companies and the individuals that we have started to send students to,” Frey said.“We sent out about 100 invites so whenever I get a business card I put it into a spreadsheet and we send it out.”

The job fair has helped bring students together to increase their team-building skills as well as prepare them for the future. For students who already have a job, introducing their employers to North Penn has helped strengthen our community by connecting students with jobs they might not have known about otherwise.

“We have students that are sharing with their employers what’s going on here, students that see value in connecting us; which to me is the best part because that’s who you’re trying to help,” Frey claimed.

Although it may seem like for many students post-high school plans look like another form of education, for the hundreds of students at North Penn who aren’t interested in college there is finally a resource to highlight the workforce. Every student is different so as a school district North Penn works hard to devote time to help every child plan their future.

“I don’t know if we have ever dedicated any resources to helping people with jobs and I sometimes look at my new position as the first resource that could be that,” Frey shared. “If 100 people graduate here, it could be 100 different pathways, some might involve college and some may not”

No job should be overlooked, no matter the position. The job fair featured traditional office jobs as well as jobs working in construction, the food industry, and even mental health support. Although a job may not be a forever fit, each occupation can help push students toward their dream career.

“Some of the skills I got when working at Olive Garden as a waiter are what set me up to be comfortable right now,” Frey remarked.

If students were interested in the fair but couldn’t make it due to prior obligations they should contact [email protected] for more information on the event.