Lehigh Valley Collegiate Career Expo Preparing Students for Next Steps for 17 Years
February 5, 2018, @ 8:00 AM
On Wednesday, February 28, 2018, 13 colleges and universities will celebrate their 17th year of collaboration with the Lehigh Valley Collegiate Career Expo (LVCCE). This annual event has typically hosted well over 100 employers with about 500 students from the LVAIC community and beyond.
This event began in 2001 when the staff of the career development centers from Cedar Crest College, DeSales University, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Moravian College, Muhlenberg College, Alvernia University, Albright College, Kutztown University, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Northampton Community College, Penn State Berks, Penn State Lehigh Valley, and Reading Area Community College partnered to host a professional development speaker using a grant from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). The group teamed up to build what later became the largest career and internship fair in the region.
This truly organic collaboration has resulted in success not only because of the relationships developed and shared across the campuses, but also due to its size. The large number and types of employers attract more students while the large number of students attract more and farther-reaching employers.
One student remarked, “LVCCE was an eye-opening experience for me. It gave me a real feel for what opportunities are out there, anything from a full-time job to a part-time internship. It allowed me to meet with potential employers and build essential interviewing skills…Within 2-3 weeks, I was in contact with about a half dozen employers…I landed several phone interviews and two in-person interviews…I would call the whole thing a success because it really helped prepare me for the future. I would definitely recommend all students to go…It is just an added bonus that you get to work on your interviewing skills, and who knows, maybe you will land a position.”
Over the years, LVCCE has adapted and changed its structure and methods to better target the needs of students and match employers to those needs. This past year has been yet another testament to this growth as a consortium with utilizing targeted employer marketing aimed at reaching industries, locations, and positions after which most LVAIC students are seeking.
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