Contact:  Melissa Potter
July 28, 2006

Top Companies, Colleges, and Universities to be Showcased at MECC Expo

On August 10, some of the top companies, colleges, and universities in Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee will be on hand at Mountain Empire Community College to meet with prospective and current students.  This Career and Job Training Expo will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the Goodloe Center on campus. 

Companies that will be in attendance at the event include Joy Manufacturing, Norton Community Hospital, Results-Duffield, the Tri-County Driving Academy, the Big Stone Gap Water Treatment Plant, the Virginia Employment Commission, and Wellmont Health System.  Representatives from each of these organizations will join with MECC faculty and staff to help students map out their future by identifying the education and training they will need for today’s jobs.

Two companies that currently have partnerships with the college will also have employees in place at the event.  A representative from Eastman Chemical Company (ECC) will be available to speak to students about the fast-track apprenticeship program the company offers to students who enroll in MECC’s Manufacturing program with a specialization in Electro-Mechanical.  Under the partnership, students have the opportunity to enter into a Maintenance Trainee assignment at ECC for a 52-week period, all while pursuing their associate degree at the college.

Sykes Enterprises will be another featured company at the Career and Job Training Expo.  The company recently established a partnership with MECC, along with local high schools and The University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA-Wise), enabling students to work part-time while pursing a degree.  This partnership encourages individuals to hold a job with Sykes, and at the same time, train for a career in college.

For students looking to transfer to a four-year college or university after graduating from MECC, representatives from King College, Old Dominion University, UVA-Wise, and Virginia Intermont College will be available at the expo.  Students will have the opportunity to learn about transfer agreements and guaranteed admission programs from these individuals.

Highlights of the event include $500 MECC scholarships that will be given away to two students in attendance, financial aid information for current and prospective MECC students, and a tractor trailer truck on display that is used by the Tri-County Driving Academy to train commercial truck drivers through classes at MECC.

The purpose of the Career and Job Expo is to promote the education and training needed to obtain jobs that are currently available in the region.  MECC offers hands-on training in many job areas with more than 30 different career fields using high-tech equipment, computers, and software.

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