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More than 400 horticulture students participated in this year’s Mid-Am Student Career Center at the annual trade show. Representing 32 schools, the high school- and college-age attendees gathered helpful advice from industry professionals.
Eighty-five employers were on hand to conduct preliminary interviews with potential candidates for internships, summer jobs and full-time positions. As in years passed, the Career Center allowed students to meet with prospective employers, ask questions, learn more about participating companies and make connections for future employment.
“The Student Career Center is an important component to Mid-Am,” described Mid-Am President Larry Thalman III of Chalet Nursery, Wilmette, Ill. “It gives students a chance to meet with industry employers and investigate different career paths in a convenient and relaxed setting. It also gives employers an opportunity to look at hundreds of graduating horticultural students at one time – making it very beneficial for everyone involved.”
And the sponsoring schools profited as well.
Keeping with its annual tradition, the Mid-America Horticultural Trade Show presented cash awards to the schools that sent the most students to the Career Center. Mid-Am distributed a total of $4,500 to the 13 schools that sent the most students.
For the fourth consecutive year, Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Ill., received the top award for sponsoring the most students – 56. The school was awarded a cash prize of $700. Kishwaukee College in Malta, Ill., earned $500 for sponsoring 39 students. Six other schools received cash awards of $350, including College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill., which sponsored 24 students; Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., and Triton College in River Grove, Ill., both of which sponsored 23 students; and Milwaukee Area Technical College of Milwaukee, Wisc., which sponsored 20 students.
The author is Assistant Editor-Internet for Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at aanderson@lawnandlandscape.com.