Hundreds of parents, students and community members attended the Community Career and Tech Expo presented by MVUSD, the City of Murrieta and the Chamber of Commerce at Murrieta Mesa High School.

 

Warm Springs middle school students demonstrated their computer programming skills building LEGO programmable robots.  Avaxat fourth and fifth graders showed off the engaging reports and presentations they created using Microsoft SWAY.  Avaxat Teacher Ben Wallace said, "The portfolio of the classwork they created is shared at Open House and it showcases their achievements."
 

Students in the district's Career Technical Education (CTE) classes demonstrated the job skills they have acquired.    Students entering high school can explore a number of career pathways including: engineering, manufacturing, CSI and law enforcement, computer science, cyber security, sports medicine, biomedical science, audio technology, multimedia and digital video production and more.   Read about the new CTE Building and see a list of all CTE classes. 

 

Volunteers from various businesses, construction trades, education, healthcare, and other industries spoke with 400 seniors from the district's high schools.  Students asked them what it takes to get the job of their dreams, how to do the job and what kind of paycheck they can expect as well as the  potential for employment and advancement.   

 

The district's Director of Secondary Education Mary Walters explained the purpose of the presentations, "We tailored presentations for students who are going into the workforce or to two-year colleges or trade schools.  We have a lot of new presentations this year after listening to our seniors culminating projects. After we heard what students were interested in, we brought in presenters in those fields."  New presenters this year included Loma Linda University Medical Center in Murrieta, Kaiser, and staff from the district's Human Resources and Technology Departments.  Representatives from Pechanga, Wilson Creek Winery and Residence Inn spoke about opportunities in the hospitality industry.  Some seniors established connections with local businesses and others got a preview of the jobs that await them after high school.   

 

VMHS Senior Thomas Herder and VMHS Senior Daniel Garcia attended the law enforcement presentation by Sgt. Dave Baca.  Herder said, "I've always had an interest in law enforcement and I want to be able to help people which I can do in law enforcement."  Garcia has a head start on his future career after taking three CTE classes at Vista Murrieta; Law Enforcement, Forensic Science and Exploring Criminal Justice.  His next step will be joining the Murrieta Police Department Explorers program.  Baca explained that it isn't easy to get into the police academy because they want to make sure candidates are suited to the profession.  He also told students he handles the stress that comes with the job by exercising and getting out in nature.  

Kaiser Community Benefit Health Manager Cecilia Arias said her Kaiser has employment opportunities for people with every skill set.   "We are hoping kids learn there are many different career paths and options in health care. They can be anything they want to be at Kaiser; we have jobs from entry level to executive positions and with over 20 hospitals and 15 to 20 medical office buildings for each hospital, our facilities are spread all over the state and we are always hiring." 

Murrieta Mesa Senior Keoni Kaupiko attended the healthcare presentation by Kaiser Permanente and Loma Linda University Medical Center to get more information on the healthcare industry. Cecilia Arias, Kaiser's Community Benefit Health Manager said, "We shared opportunities for careers in health care beyond being a doctor or nurse.  They can be anything they want to be at Kaiser, from electricians to plant engineers, accountants or food services.  "There are over 20 Kaiser hospitals in California," Arias said, "We hire a lot of individuals and we need people with every skillset."  

 

Kevin Kristell from Cryoquip had a good turnout at his presentations.  Cryoquip is one of the world's leading manufacturers of cryogenic industrial gas, LNG and hydrocarbon vaporizers and heat exchangers. Headquartered in Murrieta, the company has operations in six countries: China, Malaysia, Australia, UK, Brazil, India and the U.S.  They hire machinists, electricians, welders, and people who work on packaging their products and in the warehouse.   Kristell said, "Several students were interested in welding, electrical and manufacturing which I was excited about," he said.  "Many of them wanted to know about where and how to get certified."  

 

Jonathan Pratt, the district's Senior Systems Engineer, and Todd Croupe from HP Enterprise/Aruba Wireless talked about the multitude of job opportunities open to students with information technology skills and a knowledge of computer software and hardware, internet applications, networks, operating systems and cyber security which will .  Pratt said, "Today's classrooms rely on a number of web-based programs to educate students - from kindergarten through high school.  Our goal is to build and maintain updated and efficient computer systems and networks to optimize the role of technology in our classrooms."

 

The industries represented at the Expo included:   

• Healthcare
• Public Safety from Police, Fire and EMTs
• Manufacturing
• Banking financial institutions
• Construction Trades
• Hospitality
• Real Estate
• Sound & Video Production
• Auto Dealers
• Financial Institutions
• Utilities - Water, Electric & Gas
• Information Technology/Computers
• MVUSD Human Resources
• Community Colleges