S6:E10 - Connecting Students and Employers with the Career Carousel

This episode is about Oakes, ND's first-ever Career Carousel, a speed-dating-style event that connected 52 high school juniors and seniors with 14 local employers for four-minute rotational conversations. The goal was to give students a safe, constructive space to practice professional interactions, learn about local opportunities like tuition reimbursement or who's hiring in Oakes, and help employers connect with future talent. The pilot was a hit, which we're tickled about, and we're so excited because reaching even one student makes these efforts worthwhile.

In this episode, we cover:

• How the room was set up for max interactions, minimal distractions

• An honest review from Rebecca's oldest son, Andrew, who participated in the event (word on the street is that some kids complained before the event, but ended up enjoying it more than expected).

• Why hosting the event off-campus at a Main Street location made it feel more legitimate and less like "just another school thing."

• The layered goals behind the event: practicing professional conversations, discovering local opportunities, and building the community's workforce pipeline

• Lessons learned and next steps, including the idea of attaching a grade to participation and offering all planning materials free to other communities

Links + Resources Mentioned: You can access resources here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1bPKmUe8fDA1tuiCxBMHUldXA9SznJcxH?usp=sharing

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