NMC caps Career Discovery Month with job fair

The Northern Marianas College yesterday ended its Career Discovery Month with a job fair that saw students and companies exploring employment possibilities in the future.

This year, 14 groups and entities from both private and public sectors collaborated with the college in extending assistance to the island’s potential workforce.

NMC career office manager Heather Santos said majority of participants in the two-hour job fair were students from various programs and courses.

Last year, NMC celebrated Career Discovery Week and highlighted a number of festivities relating to career development.

Santos said this year’s monthlong celebration focused on various career workshops for students—all providing tips on effective career planning.

“After providing them learning about resume building, interviewing, [and] etiquette, we now bring them the actual career fair where they can personally interact with business groups,” she said.

The event, Santos said, primarily targets NMC students, especially the more than 125 graduating students this semester.

NMC has about 800 students enrolled this semester.

Also invited, though they didn’t show up, were senior students from the island’s public high schools.

“We provide them this opportunity so they can easily make the transition into the workforce,” she added.

Santos is confident that NMC students are now more familiar and knowledgeable on their career options.

“For our junior and freshmen students on campus, this is a good way for them to be able to interact with agencies to gain information that would ultimately guide them in planning their career,” Santos said.

For senior student Abigail Sarmiento, 19, yesterday’s event was a “good start.” She will be graduating from a criminal justice planning course next semester.

Like other students in the fair, Sarmiento believes that information from participating companies would be helpful to those seeking jobs after graduation.

“It is important that we figure out what are the available career options after graduation. It will assist and guide us…in the right direction,” she said.

For out-of-school youths like Anthony Santos, the event also served as an effective encouragement for kids to go back to school.

The 18-year-old, through his friends, was also motivated to check the other “options” he may have after high school.

He said he plans to go back to school next year.