Yallahs High School to Stage Career Fair on March 9

The Yallahs High School in St. Thomas is preparing to stage its Career Fair on Thursday, March 9, and from the interest being generated among stakeholders in the parish, the event should be very successful, said school guidance counsellor, Dorothy Bradshaw.
“We are taken aback at the level of interest it’s generating so far,” she told JIS News.
“People are showing great interest and have responded quite positively to our request to set up booths and participate. In fact, of the 31 letters sent out, only one person has declined so far,” she informed.
Institutions that have expressed interest in participating are: HEART Trust/NTA; College of Agriculture Science and Education (CASE); Jamaica German Automotive School (JAGAS); Jamaica Defence Force (JDF); Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF); Shortwood Teacher’s College; United Theological Seminary; University of Technology; Norman Manley Law school; Choices Magazine; Jamaica Tourist Board; and the Maritime Institute.
The career fair, which will be held on the school grounds in the South Heaven area of West St. Thomas, is a revamping of the annual three-day career week, which targeted grade nine students.
As Mrs. Bradshaw explained, the career week “was lacking as it targeted grade nine students and by the time they reached grade 11 they had forgotten all they were exposed to, so we’ve decided to do a career day instead and make it into a fair, targeting all students”.
She informed that parents would figure prominently in this effort, “as we’ve found that that as a body, they are not aware of the various careers that are currently available.”
She said that special attention would also be placed on “integrating fathers into the life of the school”, noting that there was a “recognized deficiency” in the presence of fathers in school affairs.
Neighbouring institutions, especially feeder schools, have also been invited to participate in the day’s activities.
“We need to be teaching children about careers from a tender age so we asked them to come in with their teachers. So we give them the information, allow them to ask questions along with their parents so the information is clear and easy to understand,” she said.