Nearly 1,500 high school sophomores from 27 schools in northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota arrived at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks for the 2014 Northern Valley Career Expo.

In the three years of its existence, the expo has grown from 49 to more than 70 companies and from 94 to 144 booths — including several from UND.

“The neat thing about a career expo rather than a job fair is that job fairs compete for employees whereas manufacturers work as partners at career expos.” Vice President of Grand Forks Region Economic Development Keith Lund said. “The expo raises awareness in the region by connecting with students.”

The expo gave high school students the opportunity to learn about different careers as well as regional occupational demands and training programs to help them prepare for their futures. The booths featured career possibilities and internship opportunities offered in the region.

This year, UND had 10 booth at the expo, which allowed the university to promote degree programs while also demonstrating careers available in the area for those programs.

In addition to the exhibit floor, students were also able to attend breakout sessions, where they could choose two sessions in areas that interested them from among 22 various topics.

“At the beginning of the school year we gave sophomore students a pre-interest inventory,” Lund said. “This told us what they like and what they want to be and then set up the sessions according to that.”

These 30-minute sessions were presented by local business leaders and gave students the opportunity to gain some firsthand information on different career paths.

These professionals provided insight and offered tips on how to prepare to enter the job market.

“This is a workforce retention initiative, and the goal is to educate students on the careers available in the Red River Valley,” Lund said. “The purpose is to retain long term employees and to keep students in the region.”

Ashley Carlson is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].