Schools

Thanks for an amazing event!

Please click below for your post-event survey.

Save the date for the next MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan on October 11, 2024. Your students should be ready for a very busy day, packed full of fun and engaging activities. Packets will be distributed leading up to the event, including a student information guide, map of the SVSU campus with bus parking instructions, student lanyards, badges, and drawstring backpacks.

MiCQMM23 Livestream

Experience what your 10th grader is doing at this larger-than-life career event, designed to help families make more informed choices about future education and careers. 

Tune in at the top of every hour – 9am-3pm
Friday, September 29 to follow the “best of quest”:

1. FACEBOOK LIVE – Follow Micareerquest middle michigan 

2. YOU TUBE – Subscribe to MiCareer Quest Middle Michigan

What to expect

Your students should be ready for a very busy day, packed full of fun and engaging activities.

No matter where they are in their “quest” toward a career, students will find this innovative event a great opportunity to expand their knowledge of options for the future.

MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan is NOT a job fair. It is a career exploration event on steroids, designed to spark your students’ curiosity and introduce them to many of today’s most in-demand occupations in Middle Michigan and across the state.

The employers your students meet at MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan are volunteering their time and are eager to share what skills are needed to succeed and how to get them. This is an incredible opportunity for them to interact with young people in a new and creative way.

Pre-Event

Career Exploration

MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan will showcase occupations in five industry sectors:

  • Advanced Manufacturing
  • Agribusiness
  • Construction
  • Health Sciences
  • Information Technology

Each industry sector will feature a variety of in-demand, rewarding jobs that have a talent shortage today — and where it is anticipated there will be even great demand in the future. Students will visit all sectors during their visit.

We encourage schools to work with students prior to the event so that each is prepared to make the best of the event by determining their preferred career pathways and “must see” jobs.

Event Format

Students will participate in one of four 90-minute sessions. Each of these sessions will be split into four blocks, giving students the opportunity to visit each sector (note that Information Technology is included in EACH sector). This does not include time to check-in your school in advance, or depart the venue.

Dress Code

Lanyard, badge and school ribbon must be on display at all times. Drawstring backpacks provided must also be worn. Students should follow their school’s dress code. Comfortable, closed-toe shoes are required – please no sandals or flip flops. Long pants also are recommended – no shorts or dresses. In addition, no loose hanging jewelry should be worn. Outside backpacks and coats are not allowed – they should remain at school or on board the bus.

Student Behavior

All students will be subject to their school’s student code of conduct. Once inside, they will not be allowed to leave the building until they depart for the return trip to their schools. (In the event of an emergency, volunteers will instruct students where to go.) Fighting, foul language and other disrespectful behavior toward anyone will not be tolerated at any time. There is no smoking or vaping allowed in the building. Volunteers will lead the students from one industry sector to the next. Security officers and law enforcement will be present throughout the event to assure all rules are obeyed.

Lanyards and Name Tags

Starting Monday, September 25, registered schools will receive lanyards, badges, and drawstring backpacks for distribution to students. Badges will be printed with school name on the front and information about a student survey on the back. Students must wear them at all times during the event. We recommend they are handed out on the bus ride to the venue. A limited supply of extra lanyards will be available at the school information desk the day of the event, if necessary.

The lanyards will be color coded, which identifies the industry sectors starting point (students will meet in the color-coded staging area at the front of the building). They will be expected to stay closely with their groups until the doors open to start the event.

Cell Phones

We understand some districts may not allow technology use during the school day. However, at MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan we ENCOURAGE it! Employers and the event planning team will be actively using social media throughout the day and will be encouraging students to do so. Ask students to treat requests by businesses and event staff as if it were an employer/employee relationship.

Arrival

Eat Beforehand

No food will be sold at MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan so, depending on what session your school is attending, please eat a sack breakfast or lunch on the bus beforehand. Please leave food on the bus.

Traveling to the Event

Each high school is responsible for transporting its students.* Please plan to arrive 20 minutes before the start of your assigned session, if possible. Buses arriving earlier than 30 minutes prior to assigned arrival will be directed to a holding area.
In the event a bus arrives in the middle of a session, students will not be able to start at the beginning. They will be quickly sent to the industry sector where they are scheduled to be at that time.

*If transportation costs are a detriment for attending, contact us as soon as possible. There may be limited assistance available to help offset costs.

School Bus Drop-Off Location

Upon arrival on campus, buses will go to G3 Lot for staging. Those arriving more than 20 minutes prior to assigned arrival will go to G2 Lots. In your school box there will be a large colored sign with your school name on it. When entering SVSU campus please put this sign on the front window/dash of the bus. This will assist parking attendants in directing you to the correct lot and minimize congestion in G3 and drop-off area. School buses should follow the directions of parking lot attendants and signage to the student drop-off area located in front of the building toward the west end. Attendants will direct the buses where to park to unload students. Once this is completed, drivers should move the buses to the designated parking area.

Welcome and Check-In

A MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan bus greeter will greet each group of students on their bus at the drop-off location. Once students unload, the volunteer will lead students and chaperones to the student staging area inside the building. Your bus greeter will check you in and direct you to the color-coded industry sector that corresponds with your lanyards. All students from the same school will have the same color lanyard – they are required to stay together during their visit. We ask chaperones to help keep the students together in the staging area. Volunteers will be holding up colored pool noodles, corresponding to each industry sector. This volunteer will be your time keeper and will guide you through the event. Students and chaperones should gather near them once their group is checked in. If there is a student with special needs, please notify your bus greeter at this time.

Restrooms

Men’s and women’s restrooms are located near the main entrance. Restrooms also are located on the first floor of the exhibit area. Students will be able to use the restrooms at
any time.

What’s Not Allowed Inside

No weapons of any kind are allowed in the facility. Law enforcement officers will be on hand. Outside backpacks or knapsacks also are not allowed, nor food and drink. There are drinking fountains located at various spots inside the venue.

Photography and Videotaping

Students are welcome to use their personal cell phones to take pictures and shoot video at the event to share. For liability reasons, we request students not bring 35mm DLSR or similar cameras or video equipment. We will have professional photographers/videographers on hand to capture sights and sounds from the event, which we will share with the schools afterward.

By entering the MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan event, attendees may be interviewed, photographed or videotaped for marketing and promotion purposes.

Inclement Weather

Mother Nature will not cancel MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan, although we recognize school bus transportation may not be available if a school district cancels classes that day. Please check the event website for additional information in the event of inclement weather.

What To Expect Inside

Interactive, Hands-On Displays

Students will not be standing around at this event. The hands-on nature invites participation. We have asked exhibitors to highlight their occupations through engaging, interactive demonstrations and activities. Students may be building something, testing a product, driving a simulator, conducting surgery or exploring a new world.

Enthusiastic, Excited People

A broad range of working professionals have volunteered their time to participate in MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan. They love their jobs and look forward to meeting your students and sharing the skills, education and other important information needed to succeed.

Ask Questions

One of the best ways to learn about a job is to ask someone who does it plenty of questions. The volunteers in the exhibits are anxious to share information about what they do. They love their jobs and like to talk about them.

Let your students devise meaningful questions on their own. However, if they hit a snag, use this list below as a means to help them out:

  • When did you decide to pursue a career in this field?
  • What other jobs did you consider?
  • What skills and education are required for your current position?
  • What do you like most about your job? Least?
  • Describe a typical day on the job.
  • What personal qualities or abilities are important to being successful in this job?
  • Do you work alone or on a team most often?
  • What can cause stress on this job?
  • What is your perception of the job outlook for this career field?
  • What are some surprises you’ve had in this job?
  • Were you employed in another profession before taking this job? If so, why did you change?
  • What kind of training do companies like yours provide incoming employees? What skills are you expected to have beforehand?
  • What advice would you give someone considering this same career?
Rotating Through Industry Sectors

You and your students will be spending less than a half hour in each industry sector, with a few minutes in between to gather and move on to the next one. Music will be played overhead indicating it is time to move to the next sector. Event volunteers will help direct students to the next sector. After the last sector, they will head to the back exit area.

Spend Time Wisely

Students are required to visit all four industry sectors, so they may not have the chance to visit each exhibitor, especially if one or more really grabs their attention. Please encourage them to use their time wisely. We strongly suggest your students prepare in advance a list of occupations they do not want to miss (see list in school guide).

Social Media

We encourage you and your students to share your experiences at MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan with friends, family and other via social media using #bestofquest.

Media Interaction

We expect local media to report on MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan. If a television or newspaper reporter or photographer approaches you or your students, we encourage you to talk to them about the event or have your picture taken, if you are comfortable. Please note, news media typically do not need a student’s approval to be included in photographs and video footage used to cover a news event such as this. Regardless, all students attending MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan should have a signed marketing/publicity waiver at their school.

Emergency Procedures

Everyone’s safety is a top priority at MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan. In the event of an emergency, law enforcement, security team and event volunteers will quickly direct the school chaperones and students on what to do. There is a first aid station on the exhibit floor as well as an emergency snack station if needed. 

Wrapping Up the Visit

Bus Loading Zone

To make your departure as smooth as possible, chaperones should let students know where the departure location is located. Volunteers will direct students to the exit doors on the east side of the building, adjacent to the bus staging area. The departure process may take 15 minutes, given the number of buses that will be leaving the venue at the end of each session. Our volunteers will help the chaperones gather the students to facilitate loading. If using a charter bus, be sure to display a large sign with your school name on the front windshield to help facilitate quick loading. Please check to make sure all students are on board before the bus departs for the return trip to school. We encourage schools to have water on the bus for thirsty students.

Student Surveys

As students leave the venue, they will be asked to complete a brief online survey within 24 hours after the event. The online survey address is on the back of their lanyards. They will be entered into a special drawing for prizes. The information gathered will be strictly used for enhancing future events and not shared with anyone.

On-Site Student Interviews

At the end of their session, students and their chaperones may be asked by a camera crew hired by event organizers to briefly comment on camera about MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan. The sound bites will be packaged in a promotional video to market next year’s event. Participation is strictly voluntary.

Post-Event Teacher Surveys

A more detailed post-event survey will be emailed to the teachers listed for each school. Like student feedback, yours is very important to make MiCareerQuest Middle Michigan better each year. There will be a special drawing for four winners of $250 Amazon gift cards for their classrooms/schools.

Contact Us

Kristen Wenzel, COO, Great Lakes Bay Michigan Works!
(989) 280-8031 | kristenw@michiganworks.com

Robert Caillier, Deputy Director, Michigan Works! Region 7B
(989) 539-2173, 1103 | robertc@michworks4u.org