‘PSS Trade Fair widens our choices’

Students learned from various representatives that joined yesterday’s Public School System Trade Fair about what their company is all about and what they do. (Jon Perez)

Yesterday’s inaugural Trade Fair organized by the Public School System widened the choices of Oneil Magno and Jerico Montenejo. They said the event would help them how to decide and plan their future.

The two Marianas High School sophomores along with their classmate Corbin Jay Bigley Rife were among the close to 100 students who attended the event at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multipurpose Center in Susupe.

“The fair is beneficial for us students since it gives us a wide perspective of what the island has to offer in terms of career choices. It also serves as a motivation for us to get the job that interests us. It is better to look for a job that you are passionate about,” said Montenejo.

Oneil added that planning ahead your career path is also a plus factor. “It is good to start early with your decisions because if you decide late you will have lesser opportunities in getting the job that you deserve.”

And that’s what Chris Tenorio and the PSS wanted to achieve with the Trade Fair, to expose students to various opportunities and available careers in the trade industry in the CNMI.

“We just want to show them that there are more career opportunities in other lucrative fields out there aside from working in hotels and restaurants. We want to create a link to expose them to create and take their own paths,” said Tenorio, the PSS Cooperative Education program manager.

Tenorio said that even the U.S. is also changing its educational system and has been starting to pump more money into the trade industry.

“Not everyone is meant for college but everyone deserves an education and to learn things. The learning process never ends. It does not stop when we get that diploma,” added Tenorio.

PSS Commissioner Dr. Rita A. Sablan said they are hopeful that students who attended the Trade Fair would go home thinking of what career path they would take.

“We plan to make this an annual event and expand it. It’s geared to help, specially the juniors and seniors, to choose their careers. We decided to invite and focus on companies that are in the trade industry since this is the job pool market that is currently needed in the CNMI,” said Sablan.

She added the CNMI would be needing more plumbers, master masons, construction managers, electricians, and air-condition technicians in the future with all the development that is happening right now.

“If we don’t expose them to the trades they won’t know anything about it. It is good for them to learn and get the training that is needed then get a job in one of the companies that we invited here,” Sablan said.

GHD Engineering employees Ted Babauta and Rufin Inos Jr. said it was nice to talk to students about what they do.

“We are always active in school events like this and tell them what we do and about the engineering practice,” said Babauta.

“We are an architectural and engineering design firm. We wanted to expose these kids to our chosen field so they would keep their options open,” added Inos.

G4S, Hawaiian Rock, CTSI, Hyatt Regency Saipan, the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., the Northern Marianas Trades Institute, Saipan Shipping, Gree, GHD Engineering, and Joeten are some of the companies which had representatives talking to students at the PSS Trade Fair.