West Hawaiʻi students to connect with different careers at third annual ClimbHI Exposure Fair

Nearly 500 high school students from eight West Hawaiʻi schools will attend a workforce exposure fair Tuesday morning.

ClimbHI, a Hawaiʻi workforce development nonprofit organization, is partnering with high schools, businesses, and organizations for the third annual West Hawaiʻi Exposure Fair at the Mauna Kea Resort ballroom from 8:30 a.m. to noon Tuesday.

Students will uncover opportunities and career paths available in a unique, “speed-dating” style format that allows them to connect with more than 45 businesses and organizations in five-minute sessions.

The exposure fair aims to reimagine and transform the hiring process for high school students. This public-private effort is followed throughout the year with additional relationship-building opportunities such as the ClimbHI Leadership Exploration Inspiration, the ClimbHI Service Excellence Certificate, and a ClimbHI Hiring Blitz.

“West Hawai‘i helped us kick off our initial Exposure Fairs, and we have since had incredible success statewide in exposing students to high-quality careers, progression plans, requirements, and the experience needed to begin their path to success,” said Julie Morikawa, president of ClimbHI.

In a 2024 survey of participating West Hawaiʻi Exposure Fair students, 78% said they were interested in careers outside their current pathway.

ClimbHI invites teachers, businesses, associations, and nonprofit organizations to sign up for the free ClimbHI Bridge online portal for workforce development and classroom engagement opportunities, volunteer hour tracking, communication tools, and more. This portal is used by hundreds of schools and businesses statewide, reaching over 300,000 students since it was launched in 2021.

For more information on events and the online portal, visit the the ClimbHI website.