What
The spring Career Fair at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) will draw about 170 employers from a range of industries. The event is open to WPI undergraduate and graduate students and alumni.
When
Thursday, Feb. 20, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Preregistration begins at noon.
Where
Sports and Recreation Center, WPI campus, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, Mass.
Who
Employers from New England and beyond, representing a range of industries, will participate. They include defense contractors Raytheon and United Technologies, tech giants, manufacturing firms, and companies reflecting new majors at WPI, such as Robotics Engineering and Interactive Media & Game Development. Google Corp. and NASA will participate in the Career Fair for the first time.
Why
National unemployment is at 6.6 percent, and college students are graduating with increasing debt and tight job prospects. The skills most in demand and garnering the highest wages are in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.
"Our students are in demand," said Steve Koppi, executive director of WPI's Career Development Center, "and the skills our students bring to the marketplace are highly valued by a wide range of employers. With over 170 employers registered for the career fair, we are approaching the record set last fall."
Among WPI's Class of 2013, more than 62 percent went on to employment in full-time jobs and more than 25 percent went on to graduate school or the military.
Other Information
In advance of Thursday's Career Fair, students are participating in workshops on how to work a job fair, resume writing, and job interviewing, and are taking advantage of opportunities to meet with representatives of NASA and other employers.
