ROANOKE REGION INTERN & EARLY CAREER TALENT EXPO
Wednesday, October 4 | 4:30-7:30 PM
Location: Taubman Museum of Art
EVENT AGENDA
4:30 PM – Registration & Welcome
5:00 PM – Employer Expo
6:30 PM – Raffle & Closing Comments
6:30 PM – Networking Social Hour
7:30 PM – Event Conclusion
Are You Looking for an Internship or Career Opportunity?
We’ve heard it time and again: recent college grads want to work, but the only positions available seem to require several years of experience. But how do you get that experience?
That’s exactly why we’re hosting this event. The employers attending the Internship & Early Career Expo are specifically looking to hire candidates for internships and early career positions. This is the perfect opportunity to learn more about local organizations and their enriching internship and employment options.
JOIN US ON OCT. 4 AT THE TAUBMAN TO…
- Gain hands-on experience in your chosen field
- Develop career skills
- Network within an organization and beyond
- Obtain crucial work experience that employers seek
- Get connected with the Roanoke Region and all it has to offer
Attendee Transportation Sign-Up Deadline – SEPTEMBER 27
PARTICIPATING 2023 EMPLOYERS
Dynax America
Kirby-Cundiff Insulation
Virginia Furniture Market
Bank of Botetourt
Member One Credit Union
Branch Group
Empire Bakery Commissary
RGC Resources
Brown Edwards & Company
Carter Bank & Trust
Eddy Alexander
Intercept Health
VIA Centers for Neurodevelopment
Balzer & Associates
Carlton Scale
Virginia Transformer
Western VA Water Authority
City of Roanoke
WFXR/WWCW Media
Foot Levelers
Integer
HUB Corporation
Chemsolv, Inc.
ETS Recruit
Wurth Industry North America
DePaul Community Resources
C&B Material Handling
First Bank
SchedulerHUB
Burns & McDonnell
Servpro of Roanoke
Wabtec Corporation
SFCS Inc.
Retirement Unlimited
Medeco/Assa Abloy
Rescue Mission of Roanoke
Associated Asphalt
Revlon
Walker Commercial Services
Local Environmental Agriculture Project (LEAP)
Cox Communications
Appalachian Power (AEP)
Help Build the Pipeline for Top Talent to Roanoke Region Employers
The Roanoke Region Internship and Early Career Talent Expo connects employers with talent entering the workforce.
If your company or organization offers internships or early career opportunities (five years experience or less) anytime throughout the year, then we want to match you with top talent looking for opportunities.
Don’t have opportunities for young talent yet? We’re here to help! Connect with the career services departments from area higher ed institutions and the Virginia Talent + Opportunity Partnership (VTOP) for support and incentives to offer early career positions.
Why are Internships and Early Career Jobs Crucial to Developing Your Applicant Pool?
Glad you asked! Less than 1% of students that graduated from Virginia Tech in 2022 came to work in the Roanoke Region. When we dig a little deeper, we learn that one of the BIG reasons stems from area employers not offering internships and early career jobs upon graduation. If we can connect with this young talent sooner, our chances of retaining them locally increases. We need you to invest your time and resources to train these young minds, and your payoff in our region’s future workforce will be exponential.
JOIN US ON OCTOBER 4 AT THE TAUBMAN TO…
- Connect with your future workforce and potential employees
- Hire interns and young professionals
- Make young talent aware of opportunities in the Roanoke Region
- Grow the talent pipeline from higher education institutions
Event Goals
When you boil it down, we’re hoping to achieve two things:
- Keep top-tier talent here in the region
- Help regional employers develop a strong workforce and hire high-achieving candidates
By connecting employers and top candidates, we believe we can achieve those goals while growing and strengthening the talent pipeline. All it takes is providing opportunities for both parties to connect and engage.
The October 4 event is just the kick-off! Employers who participate will create relationships with students, young talent, regional support ecosystems, and career service departments year-round. Attendees can obtain that coveted career experience and hopefully make the region their home. Together we can make filling future talent needs and highlighting regional opportunities in the Roanoke Region easier and more effective than ever before.
Event Partners
This collaborative effort includes career-service professionals from every major college and higher education institution in the region to ensure buy-in from students, with incentives and transportation offered, and extra effort taken campus-wide to encourage participation.
Your Career Services Contacts
Remember: October 4 is just one piece of the puzzle! Coordinating with colleges year-round and investing in students can have a huge payoff for your future workforce. Career services can provide alumni access, on-campus promotion, access to student events and career fairs, internship program development, and year-round support.
HOLLINS UNIVERSITY
Contact: Amber Becke
Associate Director
beckeae@hollins.edu
540-362-6364
FERRUM COLLEGE
Contact: Leslie Holden
Director of Career Services
lholden@ferrum.edu
540-365-4460
ROANOKE COLLEGE
Contact: Meghan Jester
Director of Career Exploration
jester@roanoke.edu
540-375-2303
VIRGINIA WESTERN
Contact: Shonny Cooke
Career Services Manager
scooke@virginiawestern.edu
540-857-6124
VT CAREER & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Contact: Becca Scott
Associate Director for Professional Development and Experiential Initiatives
bhscott@vt.edu
540-231-6241
RADFORD UNIVERSITY CAREER AND TALENT DEVELOPMENT
Contact: Carolyn Sutphin
Employer Relations and Event Coordinator
csutphin@radford.edu
540-831-6528
The Roanoke Regional Partnership’s GO Virginia talent project examined the challenges in attracting talent from the 25 colleges and universities in the region, retaining young professionals, challenges faced by regional employers in recruiting talent, and other concerns in developing talent-focused programs of work. Learn more about that project here.
Sign up to explore the Roanoke Region of Virginia.
