YouthForce NOLA + Junior Achievement 2023 Career Expo
Tuesday, March 7, 2023
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Each year, YouthForce NOLA and Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans gather high school freshmen from public schools across the city to expose them to high-wage, high-demand career pathways that will put them on a path to economic prosperity. We focus on four skill clusters: digital media/IT, skilled crafts, health sciences, and business services, while highlighting green infrastructure and STEM careers.
We are excited to announce the return of the in-person Career Expo on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, from 8:00 am – 4:00 pm at the UNO Lakefront Arena. If you are an employer interested in having a booth, please fill out the Employer Registration Form. If you are a school interested in registering your students, please contact madeline@jagno.org for more information.
The YouthForce NOLA + Junior Achievement Employer Hub matches YouthForce NOLA and Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans industry partners and their employees with classroom volunteer opportunities and the chance to virtually engage with students in career exploration visits. In response to COVID-19, the YouthForce NOLA + Junior Achievement Employer Hub will be entirely virtual for the school year 2020-21. The hub is managed and maintained by Junior Achievement of Greater New Orleans.
The YouthForce NOLA + Junior Achievement Employer Hub expands a school’s capacity by bringing professionals from a wide variety of industries into the classroom as well as liaising between schools and industry partners to organize experiential learning virtually through real time video conferencing, webinars, and pre-recorded sessions. The Employer Hub will also allow educators to easily request and implement Junior Achievement curriculum and interactive programming, all of which is volunteer taught by local community members. The Employer Hub will provide a central point from which the New Orleans business community can support students, teachers and schools through work-based learning experiences in high-wage, high-demand skill clusters.
How does it work?
The Junior Achievement Education Team will identify, plan, and coordinate virtual career exploration offerings and in-class curriculum delivered by local New Orleans industry partners and training providers. The Education Team will manage logistics with industry professionals and educators, with all volunteer activities taking place virtually for the school year. These experiences will be offered throughout the school year with the intent of building a robust database of local career exploration resources for YouthForce Partner Schools across Orleans Parish.
Interested in being a part of the YouthForce NOLA + Junior Achievement Employer Hub? Visit the Request A Program page, or contact Lauren Stendahl, Director of Impact and Partnerships for the YFN + JA Employer Hub.
Virtual Employer Hub Programming
Speaker Series Lesson
A one-time event with one speaker or a panel that lasts 30-45 minutes. The usual agenda for Speaker Series events are: 1) Student Do Now Based Off of Pre-Work, 2) Speaker Introduction and Background, and 3) Student Q&A with the Speaker(s). Students receive prior instruction related to informational interviews, pathways within the speaker’s career field, and related education & training within the field. Post-Speaker surveys are administered to gauge interest in related content, series effectiveness, and follow-up for internship and/or job shadow opportunities.
Professionalism 101
Access Point is an online app that is supplemental to any JA curriculum program and/or Employer Hub sponsored experience. It is entirely self-paced and allows students to go through easy, moderate, and challenging scenarios that explain professional dress, interaction, communication, and interviewing.
Virtual Job Shadow
A 4-part set of instructional curriculum designed to expose students to best practices for job shadow opportunities. Sessions 1, 2, and 4 are teacher-led and completed in approximately 45 minutes. Students will participate in mock interviews, learn how to write a professional thank you note, and create their own resume or elevator pitch. Session 3 is reserved for a speaker-engagement opportunity. This can be done as a video call Q&A, a recorded/written informational interview, a live job shadow, or with the assistance of career exploration websites (e.g., subscription based services like NEPRIS or Virtual Job Shadow).
Business Project Based Learning Unit with Industry Guidance
JA Titan is comprised of seven hour-long sessions that combine prepared lessons with hands-on simulation experience. Students roleplay as the CEO of a company selling “Holo-Generators” and get to see the effects of product price, production scale, research investment, and marketing budget on business success. The Employer Hub can introduce a speaker component as an addendum to Sessions 3, 5, and 7. By sourcing a speaker with substantial business knowledge within the New Orleans community, students will be able to ask questions that connect the Titan lessons to current realities of business.
Pathway Panels
This panel of cross sector industry professionals and training providers will focus on sharing information about local hiring trends and training opportunities with students. Biweekly, the Hub will host a “coffee house” style panel via Zoom to ensure students are up to speed on the opportunities within our region. Each month will feature professionals and experts speaking on a specific career cluster. These will be recorded for future use and will generally run about an hour.
Career Connections
Building off of GNO, Inc.’s Future Building Fridays initiative, the Employer Hub will continue to seek to educate teachers and counselors about regional workforce trends, aligned with high-wage, high-demand skill clusters. Once a month for adults, the Hub will host a “coffee house” style panel via Zoom with various industry partners and educators to continue the conversation about high-quality career awareness and exploration opportunities for regional schools and businesses. Each month will cover a specific career cluster and focus with panelists representing the cross section of industry and school.