UW-Platteville’s Career and Professional Development Office hosted the Spring 2023 Career Fair on Feb. 7, 8 and 9. This opportunity was offered as an in-person way to meet and talk to businesses and future employers.

This event centered around three different major focuses for each day.

On Feb. 7, the main emphasis was Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics and Supply Chain Management. There was a revolving door of employers between 9 am and 6 pm.

On Feb. 8, the focus was on Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Construction Management, Data Science and Mathematics. Similar to the previous day, employers arrived and left between 9 am and 6 pm.

On Feb. 9, the spotlight turned to Liberal Arts, Accounting, Agriculture, Criminal Justice and Education. This took place between 9 am to 12 pm. As there was a winter storm during the event, the turnout was less than what was expected.

In total, 366 employers attended the event, as well as 1,000-1,200 students that attended on the three days of the Career Fair.

Trapper Mitchell, director of the Career and Professional Development Office, commented on the reception of the fair, “This is the largest Spring Career Fair we have ever hosted. About 50 more [businesses] than the previous record in spring 2020. Spring fairs are traditionally a bit smaller in terms of student and employer participation. However, this Spring Fair does have more employers than some of our previous fall fairs. There are a lot of great opportunities out there for students!”

Employers such as Pearl City Elevator Inc., Wisconsin Badger Camp and Rural Route 1 Popcorn Company agreed that the Career Fair is an amazing experience with many benefits. Representatives from Pearl City Elevator Inc. said, “I like how there are many different employers here which gives the students many different opportunities for networking.” Employees from Wisconsin Badger Camp said, “There are a lot of people that still come to the Career Fair, so I think it works and has a purpose still.”

Paige Tangen from Rural Route 1 Popcorn Company said, “I like the Career fair because it gives us an opportunity to show who we are as a company.”

Students also got a lot out of attending the Career Fair. Tyler Lemay, an Electrical Engineering major, said, “I really liked the career fair. It is where I found my internship.” Hans Gruben, a Mechanical Engineering major, said, “The Career Fair is a great opportunity to meet and network with employers.” Zach Lewerenz, an Electrical Engineering major, added, “I liked the fair because it was super easy to find what companies were going to show up as well as where they were located booth wise. I also liked the variety of employers that showed up.”

The Career Fair was an amazing place for students and employers to connect. This Spring Career Fair was a success, despite the snowstorm that occurred on Thursday, Feb. 7.