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On Feb. 6, students and companies gathered in the Jean Hower Taber Student Union at The University of Akron (°µºÚ±¬ÁÏ) for the spring Career Fair for Engineering, Engineering Technology and Computing. This biannual event, organized and facilitated by the College of Engineering and Polymer Science’s (CEPS) Co-op and Placement Program, provides °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ students opportunities to network and explore co-op or full-time positions.

WHAT OUR STUDENTS HAD TO SAY

After the event, we asked students to share their thoughts on the greatest benefits of participating in the Co-op Career Fair and what they enjoyed most.

"I liked that there were plenty of companies for many different majors. Some of the benefits of participating in the career fair were that I can improve on how to talk to different people and learn how to network properly." — Matthew Kaminski

"I enjoyed how many biomedical engineering companies were present, particularly hospitals and those currently with open positions. Some of the greatest benefits are getting the contact information for hiring managers and being able to increase your visibility to the hiring team." — Cory Ramsey

"The best thing is the options. So many employers give an opportunity to speak to a wide range of companies. The benefits to going, whether you are looking for a job or not, are simply networking skills and the practice it gives." — Anna Carpenter

"It was great having lots of companies to chat with in one place. I was able to talk to all the companies I had researched before the fair, and talk to a few new ones that caught my eye as I was walking around the tables. You can't beat in-person conversations and networking and it was great practicing those soft skills at the career fair." — William Forcey

"I connected with many companies that I've talked with before from the fall but with more knowledge and confidence. Representatives of the companies were kind, informative and willing to provide insightful information about what co-ops at their companies look like, the values and culture of the workplace, and how it can benefit me to be on co-op." — Mikey Markov

"I had not been to a career fair of this magnitude before so it was interesting to see the amount of people there. I enjoyed meeting with multiple businesses and learning about what each company did." — Derrick Andolsek

"The number of companies that were there is a great opportunity to meet with a wide range of industries and company sizes." — Corbin Grassa

WHAT EMPLOYERS HAD TO SAY

We also asked employers to share their thoughts on the greatest benefits of participating in the Co-op Career Fair.

"This was the best-organized career fair I have attended in my years of recruiting. We easily found our table thanks to "travel guides" so to speak, felt cared for as employers when it came to meal cards and hospitality rooms, and felt the students were very well prepared to speak with us. Kudos to °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ!" — Rachael Brockett, Alcoa Wheels

"As a recent °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ alum, it felt rewarding to come back as an employer and participate in the career fair. It wasn't too long ago that I was in the same shoes as the students so I felt like I could make a good connection with them. The career fair was set up to make it easy for students to locate our booth and they knew what positions/major we were looking for. I am happy to have been and am still part of the °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ CEPS Career Fair." — Mitch Makuch, Stanley Infrastructure

"I love how prepared the candidates all are. They come with resumes, dressed to interview, and ready to network. It's always a great event!" — Brandy Harmon, Environmental Design Group

"I feel like Akron has some great candidates and some very intelligent students who ask very intelligent questions. The greatest benefits are the students. We've had students from Akron for several co-op rotations and they also perform fansticatically with the work they complete." — Jessica Quartermaine, Lumitex

"Virtually all of our employees were °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ co-ops. I like being able to talk with the students to see their communicative skills." — James Weber, Anser Advisory

"The °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ CEPS Career Fair put us in contact with several candidates looking for intern/co-op work aligning with our company's need. It was good to see a breadth of majors and we were able to obtain resumes from engineering as well as engineering technology students." — Stephen McCarthy, PCTEL, Inc.

"I am a graduate of The University of Akron and it's always great to be back on campus to see the updates, faculty that are still there and students that I had graduated with in 2021. The best part of the fair is getting to meet so many students and see all of the ambition, spirit and aspirations to gain knowledge and find their fit in the world. I found my current role from going to the career fair, getting a co-op and finding that fit for me! I hope to help someone else find that same fit in my company!" — Angelina Yoder, Stanley Black & Decker

ABOUT THE CO-OP AND PLACEMENT PROGRAM

The Co-op and Placement Program plays a crucial role in equipping students at CEPS for their future careers by providing paid industry experience. While still pursuing their degrees, students gain valuable exposure to the industry, allowing them to refine their career preferences, all while earning an average income of $43,200 over the course of three co-op rotations. Each year, more than 1,000 °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ students are successfully placed into engineering co-op positions and make an average hourly wage of $20. This allows them to begin their careers with little or no debt through scholarships and the co-op certificate program.

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Story by CEPS Marketing.

Media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or cboyd@uakron.edu.