Central Coast career expo to bring 4000 students to college
Brenton Stacey
Public relations officer
Avondale College of Higher Education
Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia
It is a marketing dream: Avondale College of Higher Education will host an expo attended by more than 4000 senior high school students each year.
New regulations limiting the number of people in its current Niagara Park venue will see the Central Coast Career Pathways Expo move to the Chan Shun Auditorium on Avondale’s Lake Macquarie campus this year.
The expo, in its 11th year, draws 4000 Year 10 and 12 students from 27 public and private schools in the region. It is the only expo with which Avondale advertises and the most labour intensive—up to 30 staff members and students from Avondale serve in marketing roles.
Assistant marketing manager Jo-Anne Vint describes the expo as the one of most value to Avondale, particularly as it will now be held on campus. “The exposure will help us compete fairly with the universities, whose size and reputation give them a big advantage. It’ll be like having 4000 students on a campus tour.”
Avondale is offering the auditorium for free and providing all meals for exhibitors, but the quality of the relationship between Phil Williamson, who serves as a member of the planning committee, and staff members in Marketing Services may have more impact. Mr Williamson is careers advisor at Northlakes High School and a former careers advisor of the year in New South Wales. “He wants the best for his students,” says Jo-Anne, “and that means throwing Avondale into the mix.”
The Central Coast Career Pathways Expo begins at 8.45 AM and ends at 2.30 PM on Tuesday, June 28, 2011.