Chippewa Valley Times

Recruiters from numerous companies across the United States will gather at UW-Stout for a four-day Career Conference Week, scheduled from February 24 to February 27. This event, organized by Career Services at the Memorial Student Center, will see more than 2,000 students connecting with employers in fields such as engineering, packaging, design, and hospitality.

Several Fortune 500 companies are set to attend, including 3M, Boston Scientific, DR Horton, Fastenal, Hershey, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hilton, JLL, Marriott, Northwestern Mutual Insurance, Parker Hannifin, Rockwell Automation, Sanmina and Xcel.

Sundt Construction Company from Tucson is among the participants and plans to hire construction management students for various internship roles. Marissa Anderson from Sundt highlighted the strong alumni network between Wisconsin and Arizona. “The alumni speak very highly about the education and experience they received at Stout and are very passionate about recruiting from the program,” she said.

Menards in Eau Claire has been a consistent employer of UW-Stout graduates. Chance Morse of Menards emphasized their involvement with the Career Services Partnership Program (CSPP), stating that it helps bridge relationships with Stout. “CSPP is a great opportunity to bridge a relationship with Stout and allows each side to share insight to create the best experience and opportunity for students,” he noted.

The conference is one of the largest in the Midwest. Bryan Barts from Career Services expressed enthusiasm for facilitating connections between students and employers. “We are excited to bring a strong group of employers to campus to meet with students,” he stated.

The event schedule includes industry-focused fairs covering areas like computing on Monday and construction on Wednesday. On Tuesday morning there will be sessions focused on packaging while science and engineering take place in the afternoon. The week concludes on Thursday with management-focused activities.

Additionally, Tuesday's events will include support specifically for military and veteran students through collaboration with Veteran Services. Employers attending have developed recruitment programs aimed at veterans.

Students are encouraged to prepare resumes ahead of time. Anderson advised researching companies beforehand: “Research a company’s work and open positions... Having prior knowledge goes a long way.”

A separate event called "Career Savvy Summit: Essential Skills for a Global Career" will occur on March 6th aiming at enhancing global competencies among students.

UW-Stout’s Cooperative Education and Internship Program (CEIP) plays an essential role in coordinating experiential learning components between students and employers. The program was recognized by AASCU with an award for its impactful results since its inception in 1982.

Overall success remains evident as UW-Stout boasts a high employment rate within six months post-graduation according to their FOCUS2030 strategic plan reports available online.