FAIRMONT - Area sophomores spent Wednesday morning networking with local businesses.
The third annual Area Career Exploration event, which took place a Fairmont Area High school, drew students from nine high schools and 115 employers.
Both groups were given assistance in learning how to make the most of the experience, said Fairmont Area High School principal Lynn Mankse.
Employers got pointers on how to draw out reluctant students, while students were given materials to help guide their way.
Upon arriving at ACE, students took a career cluster survey that directed them to job types they might enjoy. According to Fairmont Area Chamber of Commerce president Bob Wallace, the survey has a specific intent.
"It shows what they would like to do," he said, "Not what they are good at."
In addition to helping students find a career path, the materials go a step further. They list local companies participating in the day that use those skills. Students are then encouraged to stop by booths sponsored by those companies.
Information given to students also includes classes they should consider taking, and ways to become involved in an industry even before graduation.
For example, for the human services cluster, students are encourage to take world languages, computer classes, and ethnic and gender study classes, as well as volunteer with non-profit programs of interest.
For those considering marketing and sales, accounting, psychology and entrepreneurship are suggested as classes, with students encouraged to design promotional materials for local businesses and participate in Junior Achievement.
Wallace said the companies involved come from the local "laborshed," which is the 35 to 40 miles surrounding Fairmont.
The idea, he said, is to learn what types of education is needed locally, so students can return to Fairmont after college and become gainfully employed.
This is the third year for ACE, and students who first took part in the activity are now seniors. Mankse said it is too early to know if the event will actually bring students back, but she said students are surprised every year by the opportunities in their hometown area.
"They get a better understanding of the career opportunities in the area," she said. "Over the last three years, they have really been surprised."
The event had representatives from employers both large and small. Big name employers, such as Fairmont Medical Center, AGCO and Avery-Weigh Tronix, were present alongside smaller firms, all actively engaging students with information on how to enter specific fields of work.
Mankse said the event is centered on sophomores because they are just beginning to think about career options.
