Inaugural Spark! Career Fair a Success

It’s official. The inaugural Spark! Student Career Awareness Fair was a success. More than 440 students from the tri-county area participated in The Patuxent Partnership event March 30, 2023.

The fair was held at the University System of Maryland’s SMART Building as part of the SoMD 2030 Workforce Development initiative funded by Naval Air Warfare Center Aviation Division.

Eight NAWCAD divisions, along with the Naval Test Wing Atlantic and the US Naval Test Pilot School, joined St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office, USMSM Matrix Lab, University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering, St. Mary’s Department Economic Development, MedStar Hospital and Healthcare, and nine industry partner organizations. These organizations were represented with interactive, hands-on booths and activities manned by more than 100 knowledgeable personnel who gave students a firsthand insight into career opportunities available locally, ranging from STEM to finance, health care, skilled trades, and criminal justice.

As buses of students arrived, groups were ushered around the exhibitions and labs at a pace that allowed for interactive engagement, hands-on activities, and lots of questions.

“Our engineers and recruiters are eager to discuss the engineering solutions we provide to our warfighters and connect with Southern Maryland’s future STEM trailblazers,” said a representative from exhibitor Precise Systems Inc.

“It was a huge success! Congrats to Jen [Brown] and The Patuxent Partnership! The students were engaged and asked great questions. The future is bright!” a St. Mary’s County Economic Development employee shared.

“Preparing for takeoff … the first annual #SOMD2030 SPARK! Student Career Fair just launched. Nearly 500 high school students from the Southern Maryland region joined #NAWCAD and industry partners to hear about #NavalSTEM opportunities at #NAWCAD and beyond,” read a NAWCAD news release.

Jennifer Brown, workforce development and TPP programs director, and organizer of SPARK!, said, “This inaugural fair was a huge success. It required tremendous support from and collaboration with the entire community — leadership from Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s County Public Schools, St. Mary’s Ryken High School and homeschooled communities recognized the value this opportunity provided their students, and the bus loads of students that were dropped off were a testimony to that. The Navy, along with industry and community partners, brought the fair to life with their interactive booths and their staff eagerly answering the myriad of questions asked by the students. Having it at the USMSM SMART building enabled students to see first-hand the amazing resources housed there. This fair would not have been nearly as successful without the support of the NAWCAD Strategic Education Office, NAWCAD leadership, and the entire TPP staff — small teams can do great things!”

“If you didn’t participate, please contact me to get on the list for next year!” Ms. Brown said.

Participating organizations included:

• NAWCAD Air Systems Group
• NAWCAD DAitA – Integrated Battlespace Simulation & Test
• NAWCAD DAiTA – ATD – COLOR
• NAWCAD DAitA – Cyber Warfare Department
• NAWCAD DAiTA- Prototyping, Instrumentation & Experimentation/ Atlantic Ranges &Targets (PIE/ART)
• NAWCAD DAiTA – Warfare Effectiveness Dept
• NAWCAD UX-24 NAWCAD WOLF
• Naval Test Wing Atlantic
• US Naval Test Pilot School
• St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office
• St. Mary’s County Department of Economic Development
• University of Maryland A. James Clark School of Engineering
• MATRiX @USMSM
• MedStar Health
• MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital
• Northrop Grumman Resource Management Concepts
• PNC Precise Systems
• World Financial Group (WFG)
• Eagle Systems
• Naval Systems Inc.
• Air Combat Effectiveness Consulting Group (ACE Group)
• Boothe’s Heating, Air & Plumbing

SoMD 2030, funded by Naval Air Warfare Center Aviation Division, is a joint initiative of The Patuxent Partnership and the Southern Maryland Navy Alliance.

About The Patuxent Partnership

The Patuxent Partnership is a nonprofit member organization that fosters collaboration between government, industry, and academia to advance education through STEM-based initiatives; to advance technology through speaker programs, forums, and networking; to advance science and technology transfer through the exchange of ideas, information, and data related to technologies; and to increase workforce development through an array of initiatives.

To learn more about The Patuxent Partnership and its programs, visit its Leader member page.