2nd annual Nassau BOCES Job Fair held in Freeport
Nassau BOCES executive director Elizabeth Calabrese says schools need to fill several types of jobs.
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Amid a bus driver and teacher shortage, almost three dozen Nassau County school districts traveled to Freeport Wednesday for the second annual Nassau BOCES Job Fair.
In the first three hours of its opening, attendance numbers already surpassed last year's numbers.
Nassau BOCES executive director Elizabeth Calabrese says schools need to fill several types of jobs.
"Teacher aides, bus drivers. We also have facilities type positions and other things of that nature,” she said.
It’s also been hard for many districts to fill school nurse positions.
“The hospitals have become a little more competitive with their packages,” said Calabrese
Hicksville Public School Assistant Superintendent for Personnel Andrea Pekar says they are looking for candidates with diverse skill sets.
"A technology teacher. A Spanish teacher,” she said. “We're looking for people that have multiple certifications so if they have a bilingual extension as well as a special ed and an elementary school certification."
The challenge for some of the districts is showing candidates how their skills are transferable to a future in education.
"I saw a woman here today. She has her Bachelor's in biochemistry,” said Pekar. “I said to her, 'Why are you not a high school chemistry teacher?'"
Educators say the state provides steps to take in order to become a certified teacher. With that resource available to job seekers, educators want people to really think about returning to the classroom.
"Many of the degrees that students are coming out of college with now, the jobs aren't out there,” said Pekar. “But the teaching jobs are out there.”
Head over to the Nassau BOCES website here to learn how to find available jobs at the school or at other schools in Nassau County.
