MONTGOMERY, W.Va. –
For many at-risk youth across West Virginia, the future is an unknown entity. But a career fair Wednesday at Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy-South helped cadets see their futures a little more clearly.
Gary Stewart, Recruiting, Placement, and Mentorship Coordinator with MCA-South, said Wednesday’s career fair featured 37 vendors representing community and technical schools, colleges and universities, military, job training programs and private companies from throughout West Virginia and served as a chance to introduce cadets to the educational, military and career opportunities available to them after graduating the program.
“It’s an exposure opportunity for our cadets so they have some placement opportunities after they graduate,” Stewart said. “A lot of these cadets come from rural areas, and they wouldn’t have this opportunity for exposure otherwise.”
Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy is a program of the West Virginia National Guard targeting at-risk youth between the ages of 16 and 18. Cadets can earn their high school diplomas and receive training and mentorship in a quasi-military environment during the 22-week residential program. MCA has campuses in Montgomery and at Camp Dawson, Preston County.
Mason Seeward, 16, of Falling Waters, and Mareki Daniels, 17, of Cross Lanes, rotated through the career fair together. Daniels said Job Corps, AmeriCorps and Adventures on the Gorge sparked his interest the most. Like many other cadets, they have already started making plans for their futures with eyes on college and the military.
“I plan to wait a year and work to save money, then move to Kentucky and join the Air National Guard,” Daniels said. “I’ll go to college and study business.”
“I’ll study business or finance,” Seeward said. “I also want to join the National Guard in either Maryland or West Virginia.”
But help is available for cadets who aren’t so sure what to do with their futures. Felicia Brooks, career services coordinator with Region I Workforce Development Board, part of WorkForce West Virginia, said her organization offers many resources and programs for a variety of job seekers, including young adults.
“I work closely with the Empowered Employment Program, which is designed to help those with barriers to employment, such as those with low income, or who are coming out of incarceration or in recovery who need an extra boost in getting a job,” Brooks said. “We help with resume writing, resume reviews and practice interviewing. We have a youth program, Division of Rehabilitative Services and a veterans program all in Region I.”
Brooks said many MCA-S cadets she spoke with were unsure which direction they wanted to go after graduating the program. While some do want to go into the military, others want to work but are unsure about what truly interests them.
“I’ve been talking to them about career assessments,” she said. “There are a lot of free assessments online to help them find their interests and passions so that when they pick a career, they go into something they really enjoy. That’s very important and a crucial part of picking a career. Those assessments can help them identify the jobs out there that they may be interested in or may not even realize exist or thought about before.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a lot of job openings in various careers, including health care. Brandy McClellan, a captain and critical care paramedic with JanCare Ambulance, said there is a nationwide shortage of critical care medics and ambulance driver. Her company can offer cadets a variety of training and benefits that could be the start of a long and successful career.
“We offer our own in-house training in a state-of-the-art facility with state-of-the-art equipment on our ambulances,” McClellan said. “We offer vision, dental, and life insurance and 401(k) so it’s a good job for young people to build their careers if they’re interested in health care. We’ve had many in the past work for us part time while they attend college and work toward health care degrees.”
Representatives from several colleges and universities were present to talk with cadets about their degree programs, including West Virginia University, Fairmont State University, Davis and Elkins College, Concord University, West Liberty University, New River Community and Technical College, BridgeValley Community and Technical College, and Southern Community and Technical College. Other companies on hand included Ranger Scientific, the Robert C. Byrd Institute, Graybar Electrical, West Virginia American Water, a plumbers and pipefitters union, and others, as well as representatives from the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Army and West Virginia National Guard.
Cadets Daniels and Seeward said the career fair is just one opportunity that Mountaineer ChalleNGe Academy has given them to think about their futures and where they want to go in life.
“This program gets you to really sit down and think about what you want to do,” Daniels said. “It really helps you think about your future and where you want to be.”