Hometown Jobs: Registration open for employers for Roanoke Region Intern & Early Career Talent Expo

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - The first ever Roanoke Region Intern & Early Career Talent Expo is set to take place in October.

Registration is now open for employers to take part.

“We did a little bit of research and we discovered that less than 1% of students who graduated from Virginia Tech in 2022 came to work in the Roanoke region… which means that right now we are doing a not-so-great job as a region convincing these people that we have opportunities for them,” said Julia Boas, Director of Talent Strategies for the Roanoke Regional Partnership.

The Roanoke Regional Partnership is hoping to bring together employers from the region, and college and higher education students, to highlight career opportunities right here in the Valley.

“Not just for students, but also for people who are in an early career or in a career change, so maybe they’re graduating with a new skill from Virginia Western where they can come and sort of get an understanding of the breath of all of the opportunities that we have here with employers in the Roanoke Region. We say around here that talent is the currency of the 21st century and so it no longer is that the people follow the employers; it’s the opposite now. The employers follow the people. So if we want to have top-level employers and new investment coming into the region, then attracting that young talent, or even just reengaging our workforce that maybe has left for whatever reason, is more important than ever,” said Boas.

The goal is to make sure talented people in our workforce know about all the great careers in our region.

“Right now I think a lot of people don’t think of Roanoke as a place where there are six-figure salaries that they could be doing not so long after college, depending on their industry, and so we need to change that perception and we need to make them aware of what we have to offer, and so we’re hoping with this event, we can get those top employers in, we can get that top talent in and they can start having conversations,” said Boas.

The expo will take place at the Taubman Museum of Art October 4 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“Whether you have internships, early career opportunities, or even beyond, or maybe this is looking ahead, just come, meet with these people, tell them about your business and start making connections,” said Boas.

To register, click here.

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