Career Services at UW-Stout has one main goal when it hosts career conferences — provide a venue that helps students and employers connect.
The annual Fall Career Conference, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 25-26, should provide plenty of opportunities. A total of 420 companies, with more on a waiting list, will have booths in the Multipurpose Room of the Sports and Fitness Center. About 2,000 students are expected to attend, according to Career Services Director Bryan Barts.
The 420 companies are a record for a UW-Stout career conference, Barts said, a reflection of the strong economy and UW-Stout’s many academic programs that are career-focused.
“Many different industries are competing heavily for students who are career-ready and can fill their talent needs,” Barts said.
Employers at the conferences, from Fortune 500 companies to regional firms, recruit students for full-time positions and for co-op and internship experiences, the latter often leading to job offers. A new company attending this year will be Foxconn Technology Group, which plans to build a $10 billion manufacturing center in southeastern Wisconsin that could employ up to 13,000 people. The company plans to hire 150 people at an innovation center in Eau Claire.
“Companies are committing to engaging students earlier and more often and using career fairs, like ours, as a high-touch approach that complements other recruitment avenues,” Barts said, noting that small and midsize companies are becoming more proactive in recruiting.
“The trend is definitely on recruiting earlier and being more active on campus, visiting several times throughout the year.”
Another trend, Barts said, is companies seeking to broaden their relationship with UW-Stout by engaging with the Alumni Association, academic program directors and faculty through classroom visits and serving on program advisory committees. “They are recognizing that by doing so, they are reaching into many areas on campus that impact recruitment and their company branding efforts,” he said.
Career Services held career conference Prep Week events for students, such as resume writing, beginning Sept. 17.
UW-Stout, which also holds a Spring Career Conference, has an employment or continuing education rate for recent graduates of 98.2 percent.
