The University of Toledo

As the national unemployment rate remains high, The University of Toledo College of Engineering is being proactive in providing its students with networking, employment and professional development opportunities to lead to jobs upon graduation.

The College of Engineering Career Development Center will hold its Engineering Career Expo from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 28, on the first floor of Nitschke Hall for engineering students and employers to network for co-op and full-time employment opportunities.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the economic recession has led to a national unemployment rate as high as 9.2 percent in 2011; the figure was 9.1 percent for August. Due to the economy, students may find the Career Expo to be a vital step in their job search.

“This is a great opportunity for our engineering students to network with companies to set up interviews and obtain jobs,” said Vickie Kuntz, director of the Engineering Career Development Center. “It is very important for students to come in contact with future employers.”

The Career Expo will give more than 90 companies and 600 engineering undergraduate and graduate students and alumni the opportunity to meet one another, exchange resumes, and set up interviews for possible jobs.

Students also will be able to set up interviews for co-op experiences required by the College of Engineering as a part of its curriculum. The college has 100 percent co-op placement, which leads to a vast majority of graduates having full-time jobs upon graduation, Kuntz said.

Among the companies to be represented at the Career Expo are Air Products, BP, Chrysler, First Energy, General Electric, Hamilton Sundstrand, Johnson & Johnson, Marathon Petroleum, Owens Corning, Owens-Illinois Inc., Plastic Technologies Inc., Procter & Gamble, SSOE Group and others.

“It is our goal that every one of our graduates not only have a great educational experience, but also excellent professional development opportunities leading to gainful employment at graduation,” said Dr. Nagi Naganathan, dean of the College of Engineering. “We appreciate our employers for their continued engagement and loyal support. We are pleased that they seek to employ our students and graduates year after year.”

This entry was posted  on  Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 at  9:32 am and is filed under  Events, UToday.
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