In just a few short weeks, 450-plus high school students from the Sarasota County school district area will explore potential local career pathways at the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce’s 2016 State of Jobs Conference. State of Jobs features over 50 local guest speakers from seven different career tracks working to inspire students to take control of their futures. The event plans to engage students in higher education opportunities in Sarasota-Bradenton, give them an inside look into great local businesses and encourage them to network with local executives. "We've already started witnessing the impact State of Jobs is having on our community," says Chris Laney, chair of the conference. "Students have changed careers because they were inspired by the guest speakers, received internships from relationships created and have pursued higher education because of what they learned at this conference. Our goal is to simply inspire students to do more and I believe that's happening."

Last year, during the second annual State of Jobs conference, the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce compiled a volume of data highlighting student perceptions of colleges and careers on the Suncoast. The majority of students indicated they were planning to attend a college in the state of Florida, but not in the Sarasota-Bradenton area. The event plans to ensure that local college-bound students are aware of both the academic post-secondary opportunities as well as the job market for young professionals. The survey also showed that students were interested in learning about careers locally through internships, job shadowing and higher education, but feel a disconnect from the specific opportunities available for them. 

For more on the State of Jobs conference, contact Chris Laney at cdlaney@gmail.com or visit their website online at StateofJobs.org.

State of Jobs