Pontiac, Mich. – MiCareerQuest Southeast, the region’s largest career exploration event for high school students, will be hosting 8,000 youth and teachers from 100 Metro Detroit schools on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023, at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.
Participants will engage in a variety of hands-on, interactive activities with nearly 1,000 working professionals from 119 businesses, labor organizations and educational institutions to explore 180 high-demand, high-paying career opportunities. MiCareerQuest Southeast covers more than 400,000 square feet of floor space at the Suburban Collection Showplace.
“There are so many well-paying, interesting career options to explore and pursue right here in the region, and MiCareerQuest Southeast is providing the students a look at what the future could hold for them,” said Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter. “This event also gives companies the chance to educate students about the skills they’ll need to start a successful career path.”
Students are required to visit four career quadrants: advanced manufacturing, construction, health sciences and technology. Each will feature occupations that are expected to be in high demand and experience the highest growth in southeast Michigan over the next several years.
Among the interactive activities for students: mock surgeries and medical procedures using life-like mannequins, physical therapy exercises, operation of industrial robots, virtual reality welding, building of brick walls and carpentry skills, utility linemen pole-climbing, heavy machine operator and truck driving simulators, computer programming demonstrations and operation of CNC machines.
MUST (Management and Unions Serving Together) Construction Careers and the Michigan Building & Construction Trades Council (MBCTC) are partnering as one of the Presenting Sponsors of MiCareerQuest Southeast and hosting multiple occupation activities in the event’s construction quadrant.
“MUST Construction Careers is proud to support MiCareerQuest once again as a construction quadrant Co-Presenting Sponsor,” said MUST Management Co-Chair Donna Pardonnet. “Our group of construction employers and skilled trades find MiCareerQuest to be an outstanding way to engage future talent.”
MBCTC Secretary/Treasurer Pat Devlin added, “MiCareerQuest is a great opportunity for students and educators to spend time with hands-on career exploration with all of the Michigan building and construction trades. We have a strong need to expand our future workforce and events like this are valuable to our affiliates.”
Schools and chaperones are assigned to one two-hour session during the day: 8:15 a.m., 10:15 a.m. or 12:15 p.m., depending on their distance from the venue. They spend 30 minutes in each quadrant. More than 100 federal, state, and local government officials, as well as educational and business leaders, are also scheduled to visit the event. Pre-registration is required.
High schools from across southeast Michigan were invited to MiCareerQuest Southeast, with the typical school bringing 50-100 students. The largest groups of students are coming from Oxford High School (372 students) in Oakland County, Romeo High School (470 students) and Fraser High School (410 students) in Macomb County. Some schools are bringing students from farther way, including Hartland High School in Livingston County and Whitmore Lake High School in Washtenaw County. Wayne County schools registered to attend include Belleville and Ecorse High Schools, as well as Southeastern High School in Detroit, among others.
“MiCareerQuest Southeast stands as an essential experience for students attending from around the region,” said Oakland Schools Superintendent Dr. Wanda Cook-Robinson. “This immersive, hands-on learning opportunity serves as the bridge between the classroom and real-world opportunities, illuminating the path ahead for the next generation of skilled workers.”
The event is organized by Oakland County Michigan Works!, the Oakland County Department of Economic Development, other Michigan Works! agencies across southeast Michigan, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, and education and economic development partners from Macomb, Wayne, Monroe, Washtenaw and Livingston Counties.
Presenting sponsors include Oakland County Michigan Works!, Michigan Works! Macomb/St. Clair, Michigan Works! Southeast, SEMCA Michigan Works! Detroit Employment Solutions Corporation and MUST Construction Careers/Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council. Gold sponsors include Oakland Community College, Oakland Schools, Oakland University and Washtenaw Community College.
Silver sponsors include Automation Alley, Barton Malow, Corewell Health, Jackson College, Lawrence Technological University, Macomb County Planning & Economic Development, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Operating Engineers 324 and Williams International. In addition, the family of Kenny Adkins, a member of Roofers Union Local 70, provided a silver sponsorship in his memory.
For more information, visit www.OakGov.com/MiCareerQuestSE.
