Chattanooga State hosts in-person college and career fair

In-person event is first of its kind since 2019, shows ties to growing student enrollment

CHATTANOOGA (WDEF) — For the first time since 2019, Chattanooga State Community College held its college and career fair in person today.

One member of the city chamber noticed a lack of “pandemic panic” and from students, who were buzzing with excitement.

Hundreds of students from Hamilton County Schools flocked to Chatt State today to get a taste of the future, exploring table after table at today’s fair.

From local colleges and universities to trade schools and military recruiters, plenty of experts opened up to the next generation of Hamilton County’s workforce.

“What myself and vendors have noticed [is] that all of the students have been really engaged with talking to the colleges and the businesses, so I take that as a win,” said Tessa Vance of the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce. “To me, this feels like it would’ve been before the pandemic. The students are just excited. It seems like a normal type of professional development for them.”

In May 2021, CBS News reported nationwide dropping numbers in college enrollment, attributed to the pandemic.

Community colleges reportedly saw anywhere from 10-11% fewer students.

But Chatt State is seeing an increase in enrollment.

One student believes events such as today’s fair are a big reason why.

“Of course, the pandemic hit a lot of colleges and universities,” said CSCC Sophomore Ryan Tate. “We saw a big decrease in enrollment across the board. With our efforts in recruiting and orientation, as well as our academic advisors, we’ve really been in contact with Hamilton County Schools and we’ve started seeing a rise over time. So we get a weekly enrollment report and they’ve been going up constantly since we’ve been doing them.”

The return to normalcy is also appreciated by those in the local workforce.

One member believes as their relationships with students become more personal, they also become more professional.

It’s great to get back out here and get to see the students face-to-face,” said Local 43 Training Coordinator Joshua Ewing. “When they meet us and see us, we’re people in their community — they can relate to us. So now when they see us in real life, flesh and blood, not over a Zoom call, they’re like, ‘Hey, this guy’s real. Oh, he lives up the road. He’s here.'”