On Tuesday, February 13, students gathered at Ebenezer’s Barn and Grill in Bryce for the annual Rural County Career Fair. About 120 high school students from Piute, Wayne, Panguitch, Bryce Valley and Escalante high schools attended this year.
At the fair, local employers set up booths and spoke with students about summer jobs as well as future careers. Employers present ranged from the National Park Service to South Central Communications and Great Lakes Cheese (in Fillmore). Several universities, such as Utah State, Weber State and Southern Utah also spoke with students.
Gary Bennett, school counselor for Panguitch High School, told The Byway that the area’s school counselors first got together around 2017 to begin the career fair. He said it was difficult holding career fairs for just one school with so few students, so combining made it easier for employers to come to the events.
After students were able to hear from presenters and speak with employers, organizers held a raffle for the students as they ate lunch (250 sandwiches from Subway).
Candence Peterson, counselor at Wayne High School said putting on the career fair is always quite an undertaking, but as usual, it turned out really well this year. “We came up with this [career fair] to show students there is a way to stay in the area and work at these places, and that there are good jobs,” she said.
Ruby’s Inn provided the venue as they have for the last three years, and funding was contributed by Garkane, all the schools’ CTE programs, and the commissioners of all three counties.
– The Byway
Feature image courtesy of AJ Martel, The Byway.
