SALISBURY – Students from 10 Eastern Shore counties will have an opportunity to explore career paths at the fifth annual JA Inspire event.
Next week, more than 4,500 students from 10 counties will visit the Wicomico Youth & Civic Center for a day of career exploration.
Hosted by Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore (JAES), eighth grade students from Wicomico, Worcester, Somerset, Dorchester, Caroline, Talbot, Queen Anne’s, Kent, Sussex and Accomack public schools, as well as private and homeschool students, are expected to be in attendance.
“The 2023 JA Inspire will be bigger than ever,” said Jayme Hayes, president of JAES. “This event exposes students to the career opportunities in their own backyards. It gives our businesses an opportunity to find local talent and begin the process of keeping our future workforce here to contribute to our local economy.”
In 2019, JAES launched JA Inspire as a way to educate incoming high school students on the various job opportunities available to them on the Eastern Shore. By speaking with local employers across several sectors and learning about the skills needed for those fields, officials say students can select high school courses for the career they want.
This year’s event, sponsored by M&T Bank, will feature more than 120 exhibitors from across the Delmarva region, including TidalHealth, Delmarva Power, Whiting Turner, NASA and more. The event will also feature Eastern Shore colleges, universities, apprenticeship programs, trade schools, and internships so students can gather the information needed to achieve their goals from an educational aspect.
“M&T Bank is looking forward to participating in JA Inspire to help provide thousands of students with interactive learning opportunities that could lead them on potential career paths,” said Monty Sayler, M&T’s commercial banking group manager for the Eastern Shore. “As a bank focused on serving our communities, M&T is deeply committed to supporting organizations like Junior Achievement of the Eastern Shore and its mission of providing local students with skills in financial literacy, work readiness, and entrepreneurship.”
JA Inspire will take place Wednesday, March 15 and Thursday, March 16. This year’s event will also feature a new addition, JA Inspire For Hire, to be held March 14 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
“This will allow high school students and community members currently seeking employment an opportunity to interact with the same vendors to fill immediate openings,” a press release reads. “All members of the public are welcome to attend this portion of the event.”
For more information about JA Inspire, visit easternshore.ja.org.
