More than 100 students from across the Lompoc Valley participated in the second annual Pathways: A Career Conference for Teens, hosted by the Lompoc Teen Center at Lompoc High School.
The conference is part of an effort to expand career exploration, skill development, and paid internship opportunities for students in support of the Lompoc Youth Workforce Pipeline, an initiative led by Santa Barbara County Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann.
Hosted by the Lompoc Teen Center in partnership with FPA Multifamily/G.A. Fowler Family Foundation, Allan Hancock College, and Lompoc Unified School District, the event provided students in grades 7-12 with keynote speakers, a career and college fair, workshops, engagement with professionals, and mentorship and internship opportunities.
Keynote speakers included Clara Finneran, Lompoc Unified School District superintendent, and Joan Hartmann.
Finneran discussed the importance of aligning education with real-world opportunities and building partnerships that help students explore future career pathways while still in school.
Hartmann outlined her Lompoc Youth Workforce Pipeline initiative that seeks to streamline career exploration, skill-building, education, training, and local employment opportunities by coordinating efforts among school districts, colleges, employers, community organizations, and local government.
“Even in the midst of pouring rain, hundreds of teens showed up ready to explore their futures, and their energy was truly palpable,” Hartmann said. “I’m grateful to be part of efforts that expand career pathways and broaden the horizons of so many young people excited to learn what is possible for them.”
The career & college fair connected students directly with local colleges, training programs, employers, and community resources.
Students who completed a paid summer internship through the Lompoc Teen Center presented their internship projects to attendees, highlighting how their internships resulted from the networking opportunities they gained by attending last year’s conference.
Participants in the Student Experience and Impact program eceived free breakfast, lunch, swag, raffle entries for AirPods and an iPad, as well as full access to all components of the Career Pathways Conference.
The Lompoc Teen Center is a nonprofit that provides a safe space for at-risk teens in 7th-12th grades to achieve academic success and college and career readiness.
For more about the Career Pathways Conference or the Lompoc Teen Center, contact: Victor Alejandro Cortes Executive director, Lompoc Teen Center victor@lompocteencenter.org or 805-741-7904.