Students from the Altmar-Parish-Williamstown, Fulton, Hannibal, Mexico, Oswego, Phoenix, Pulaski and Sandy Creek school districts attended this free event to learn about career choices in the county from local business professionals.

More than 50 CiTi student professionals from the New Visions and Public Safety high school programs helped plan and execute crowd control of the 8th-grade students, traffic control and safety contingency planning.

Presenters included CiTi (Oswego County BOCES), SUNY Upstate Physical Therapy and Respiratory Care, New York State Police, CiTi’s Culinary Arts, CNY JATC, Oswego County P-Tech, Huhtamaki and Novelis

Brian Chetney, chair of the Oswego County Workforce Development Youth Council, said, “Eighth grade is the perfect time for students to engage in career exploration and start deciding what they would like to do once they get into high school to start preparing for the journey beyond. The Youth Career Summit not only provides information on different careers available in our county, but it also provides information on opportunities for youth to build their resumes for job seeking and college applications.”

Planning for the event is a yearlong process and involves a cross section of stakeholders in education, business and the human services sectors

Students learned about programs available while in high school that promote leadership, career and college readiness in the trade show rotation. Exhibitors included Cornell Cooperative Extension, Oswego County CiTi BOCES, Oswego City-County Youth Bureau, Oswego County Human Resources, CNYAHEC, Oswego County Opportunities (OCO), Army, Navy, Boy Scouts of America, Oswego County P-Tech, Huhtamaki and Novelis. The event gave youths the opportunity to network with community employers, program administrators and peers throughout the program as well.

The day included lunch for the students; each one walked away with information in hand regarding the programs available, as well as information on careers in Oswego County including the education required and approximate salary ranges for each one. Students who participated in the trade show were also entered in a drawing to win a free iPad Mini given away that day, provided by Oswego County Federal Credit Union. The lucky student winner this year came from the Fulton City School District.

Sponsors of the day included SUNY Oswego, Oswego County CiTi BOCES, Oswego County Federal Credit Union, Mark's Pizzeria, Eagle Beverage, Walmart, State Farm Insurance, Oswego City-County Youth Bureau, and Oswego County Department of Social Services.

Planning for next year begins this month. Businesses interested in participating should contact Brian Chetney, Oswego County Workforce Development Youth Council chairperson, at [email protected]