A steady stream of students filled the Gengras Student Union, hoping to learn more about working for the state of Connecticut. Students were able to meet with representatives from more than a dozen state departments, including the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Economic and Community Development, and the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.
More than a hundred students turned out to learn about full-time positions, internships, and summer employment. They could also receive career counseling and application assistance right then and there.
“It’s a great opportunity for students and the state,” said Michelle Halloran Gilman, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services, one of the agencies represented. “You can really make a difference for our state and our residents.”
The event was organized by the University’s Allan Center for Career and Professional Development, which gives students the knowledge, tools, and guidance to enter the workforce by connecting them with industry partners and alumni.
The job fair is the latest of UHart’s many initiatives to help students find opportunities to join the workforce right here in Connecticut. Recently, the University extended scholarship offers to its first “Scholars of Excellence.” The program, funded by a $3 million gift from Stanley Black & Decker, is open to the top academically prepared students from 29 towns in the Greater Hartford area.
It's all part of President Lawrence P. Ward’s stated goal of strengthening ties between the University of Hartford, state and local government, community partners, and industry. “For a university that carries the city of Hartford's name,” Ward has said, “we must play a leading and contributing role in the economic and educational vitality of the Greater Hartford area, the state of Connecticut and the northeast region.”