Want a Job? Visit the NTID Job Fair on Oct. 14
NTID News - October 1, 2009
RIT/NTID Student Danny Cruz (left) talks with Raytheon employee Donald Slate, a 2006 graduate of RIT/NTID during the 2008 NTID Job Fair. Photo by Mark Benjamin, NTID See full-size photo
Despite tough economic times, dozens of employers are slated to meet with hundreds of prospective employees at the 9th annual National Technical Institute for the Deaf Job Fair on Oct. 14.
Nearly half of those employers represent government agencies.
The Department of Defense, the Secret Service and U.S. Department of Transportation are among the agencies sending representatives to the Job Fair, along with companies such as Microsoft, Raytheon and IBM.
"The government - particularly the federal government - has had a long history of hiring our students for co-ops and permanent employment upon graduation," says John Macko, director of NTID's Center on Employment (NCE). "We're delighted that the government continues to look at RIT/NTID students who have the technical skills that are desired in the workplace."
RIT/NTID also has a decades-old tradition of lining up co-op work experiences in such agencies and in the private sector with students prior to graduation. That not only provides real-world experience for students, but also teaches employers what little often needs to be done to accommodate an employee who is deaf.
This Job Fair will feature more than 50 sign language interpreters who will be on hand to help communication - if needed - between employers and prospective employees who may be current students, alumni or community members.
Last year, more than 40 people were hired as a result of the NTID Job Fair, said NCE Associate Director Dawn Lucas. Some of the companies have managers or human resource personnel who are specifically seeking deaf or hard-of-hearing employees to help their work force become more diverse.
Students studying graphic design, business, engineering, sciences and computer majors are always in demand.
The Job Fair will be at NTID's Lyndon Baines Johnson Building from 1:30 to 5 p.m. on Wed. Oct. 14. All deaf and hard-of-hearing students pursuing their associate, bachelor or master's degree are welcomed, as are alumni and members of the community who have hearing loss.
The NTID Job Fair is co-sponsored by the NTID Center on Employment and the New York State Department of Labor.