Waterford, Michigan – Companies, labor organizations and educational partners interested in participating in the third annual MiCareerQuest Southeast, scheduled for November 18, 2020, are invited to attend a special kickoff meeting on Monday, March 9, from 1:30-3:00 p.m., at the L. Brooks Patterson Executive Office Building Conference Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford. Registration is available at www.advantageoakland.eventbrite.com.

The largest career exploration event for high school students in the region, MiCareerQuest Southeast is not only a hit with teenagers, but also sponsors and exhibitors who showcase hundreds of in-demand jobs in advanced manufacturing, construction, health sciences and information technology.

“MiCareerQuest Southeast has quickly become one of the most popular career events for high school students across southeast Michigan,” said Oakland County Executive David Coulter. “Planning for this year’s event starts now and we strongly encourage businesses and others interested in joining us to get involved early as a sponsor or exhibitor, so they can actively participate in our quadrant planning meetings and receive maximum exposure for their involvement.”

Last year’s event drew nearly 10,000 students and chaperones from 160 high schools across southeast Michigan. Post-event surveys indicated 89 percent of the exhibitors thought it was an effective way to showcase their industries to the future workforce.

The students agreed. Of the 1,100 students who completed the survey, 82 percent said they learned about employment and education/training opportunities that they did not know about beforehand; 72 percent thought

MiCareerQuest Southeast would help them make their career choices after high school graduation.
MiCareerQuest Southeast will again take place at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi and cover nearly 400,000 square-feet of floor space. Organizers expect upwards of 200 career paths to be highlighted. There will be 20-25 exhibitors in each quadrant.

Sponsor contributions cover a range of costs associated with hosting an event of this size and scope. There are platinum, gold, silver, bronze and supporter sponsorships available, each with a range of benefits. More details, including a summary of sponsorship benefits and the schedule for the quadrant meetings, can be found at www.OakGov.com/MiCareerQuestSE.

“We expect the majority of exhibitors from last year to return, but we have room for new organizations to join us,” said Jennifer Llewellyn, director, Oakland County Michigan Works! “We look forward to seeing new faces at this year’s kickoff, where we will be sharing important information on how we are making it even more impactful for everyone involved.”

Dorsey Schools have participated in MiCareerQuest Southeast since its inception, both as a sponsor and exhibitor in the health sciences quadrant.

“MI Career Quest is one of the most positive, educational and fun learning experiences I have ever been involved in,” said Eric Strouse, vice president, Dorsey Divisions. “The students get a chance to learn about careers in a hands-on environment without any pressure and the different companies get a chance to teach aspects of the various jobs while having fun through creating excitement in those careers.”

MIAT College of Technology also has participated in MiCareerQuest for the past two years. In 2019, it partnered with Delta Airlines to highlight career paths and training opportunities.

“This platform has provided our institution the opportunity to expose a tremendous number of students to career pathways in the skilled trades,” said Chris Davis, assistant director of community partnerships, MIAT College of Technology. Last year, we were fortunate to collaborate in our booth with Delta Airlines, one of our aviation partners, to help students understand the opportunities as aviation maintenance technicians. This year, our college plans to engage Delta and additional industry partners to increase the impact of this phenomenal event.”

This year’s MiCareerQuest Southeast is being capped at 9,000 students for the day. School registration will commence in mid-August, with public and private high schools in Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Livingston, Monroe and Washtenaw counties signing up online. Students can only attend the event if their high school is participating. Homeschool students should contact their local high schools to see if they are planning on attending.