More than 900 San Angelo ISD juniors recently had the unique opportunity to explore various career pathways and connect with industry professionals at the inaugural Concho Valley SPARK Youth Career Expo. The event, which attracted more than 1,400 students from 18 school districts, allowed students to engage with businesses and organizations from a wide variety of industries. The event was a result of a successful partnership between the Concho Valley Workforce Development Board (CVWDB), Shannon Health, San Angelo Independent School District, Education Service Center Region 15 and Howard College. The group’s goal was to leverage resources and organize a large-scale event focused on providing students with career exploration opportunities they may not have experienced before. 

“SPARK is intended to be an event that inspires proactive decision making,” said Avery Hathorne, Workforce Programs Contracts Manager with CVWDB. “Our hope is that this career exploration event offers students across the Concho Valley the vision, encouragement and opportunity needed to succeed in the workforce. The idea was to offer students a unique opportunity to connect, communicate and explore careers with real industry professionals in a setting created just for them to help spark future interests that will influence future decisions.” 

A Collective Effort to Inspire Students' Futures

More than 70 different businesses, organizations and educational institutions took part in the event, eager to connect with students and potentially recruit future talent. 

“The response from local employers was so fantastic, we met and exceeded our planning committee expectation for how many employers and community partners we thought would participate that day,” Ms. Hathorne said. “Employers and community partners all came together and brought extremely positive energy and optimism to the event that day. Everyone was excited to be there for our students and to be a part of SPARK.”  

The event’s success was largely due to the critical role played by community sponsors, schools and volunteers. “When organizations come together for a purpose such as SPARK it eases the logistical and financial burden of the event but also helps to build a sense of community, engagement, and shared success,” Ms. Hathorne said. “Working as a community on events such as this positively impacts visibility, credibility and SPARK happening every year!”

Event highlights included opening remarks by Commissioner Joe Esparza from the Texas Workforce Commission and keynote speaker Julie Schneirs, who provided insights on career development. Students explored various career industries including agriculture, food and natural resources; architecture and construction; arts, audio visual technology, and communications; business, marketing and finance; education and training; energy; health science; heavy equipment; hospitality and tourism; human services; information technology; law and public service; manufacturing; engineering; and transportation, distribution and logistics.

The expo allowed students to engage directly with professionals from industries they may not have considered before. The event served as a bridge to career pathways, allowing them to ask questions, explore job opportunities, learn about essential education and training pathways, and discover new career interests. 

“Events like this contribute to a prepared future workforce by showcasing career opportunities and points of entry into desired career and workforce opportunity areas,“ said Ms. Hathorne. “This benefits students by providing resources and information that will address potential challenges and answers to unknowns as they consider what post-secondary decisions are best. This also benefits employers by being able to build connections with our future labor force to potentially recruit and manage future workforce demands.”  

The Concho Valley SPARK Youth Career Expo was more than just a one-day event – it was a catalyst for students to explore various career paths, envision their futures and a step toward preparing the future workforce of the Concho Valley. As for the future of SPARK, Hathorne remains hopeful. “Although we are not able to guarantee that this event will become bigger at this time, we can say that SPARK 2026 can be anticipated,” she said.

Acknowledgments

The SPARK Youth Career Expo was made possible through the generous support of its sponsors, including Shannon Health, San Angelo ISD, Educational Service Center Region 15 and Howard College. We extend our appreciation to all the sponsors, employers, schools, volunteers, speakers and attendees who made this event possible. Your support helps inspire the next generation of workers and leaders.

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