RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The pandemic has brought along many changes to college campuses, but some schools are coming up with alternatives to provide students with the best opportunities.

At South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, they usually hold two career fairs each year.

Typically, those are held in person, and there are usually more than a thousand students in attendance along with about 150 employers, but this year, the fair was held virtually.

The director for the career and professional development center, Matthew Hanley, says it may look different, but the fundamentals of attending a virtual fair are the same as going to an in-person one.

You still want to dress up, prepare a resume ahead of time, and research employers.

Hanley says this is the primary means through which their students will connect with employers for internships, co-ops, and full-time positions.

“The demand for STEM talent is still out there and are students are still graduating, still going out to do summer internships. So you know we still need to get them in front of those opportunities. And for our last graduating class, 61% of those students found their positions through one of our career fairs,” says Hanley.

One hundred thirty-six vendors attended the career fair on Tuesday, and about 900 students registered.

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