Grads finding active job market
After youths spent a world apart, for the past two years the lives of Lillian Yanney and Chris Veno have converged at Norwalk Community College alongside thousands of fellow students. As they diverged anew to follow their separate paths starting Friday morning, they could agree on one thing — 2018 is a great time to be taking that first step.
As NCC graduates collected their degrees on Thursday evening at Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, they and their peers throughout the region are entering the job market some believe to be the best in more than a decade, even in the context of an overall Connecticut labor market that has been unable to sustain an upward push on par with other states.
On campus, however, employers have been active in their recruiting efforts at NCC and other Connecticut schools, with the Norwalk college offering major programs in nursing and health fields, information technology and accounting among others. Roughly one in three graduates this spring are heading straight into the workforce, with the rest enrolling in four-year colleges and universities to obtain baccaulaureate degrees.
In that second group are Yanney and Veno, the latter from Ridgefield and checking out opportunities at NCC after working initially at Caraluzzi’s Georgetown Market in Redding. Veno found his calling at NCC in accounting and tax, undertaking an internship this summer at the Danbury headquarters of Praxair before heading to Sacred Heart University this fall to continue toward a baccalaureate degree required to become a certified public accountant.
Whether among those on an intermediate step to a final career destination or graduates launching their careers this week, Veno said he has seen a marked improvement in the outlook of his fellow students.
“I think the opportunities have definitely improved,” Veno said.
Job outlook mixed
While the nation’s unemployment rate dropped below 4 percent last month — the first such instance since 2000 — Connecticut’s remained at 4.6 percent, and studies nationally have been mixed on the spring job market for college graduates.
In May, the executive search firm Korn Ferry proclaimed the job market the hottest it’s been since 2000, while noting that has yet to translate into average compensation, up 2.8 percent from a year ago. Korn Ferry queries some 1,000 employers nationally covering more than 300,000 entry-level positions.
More muted, however, was an April survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, with NACE predicting a 1.3 percent decline in hiring nationally from 2017, a reversal from an earlier forecast of a 4 percent increase.
The true figure varies according to industry and geography, as well as individual company circumstances as opportunities surface, forcing the hands for some who need to bring on young, affordable graduates to help them grow, and grow with the business.
Kiran Somaya has seen a world of difference in the job market from three years ago, when she arrived at Norwalk Community College as director of the school’s center for career development. Today, about 1,500 employers are listed on the NCC job board, with Somaya’s office handling about 1,200 student appointments a year, up about fivefold from when she arrived.
Taking that first step
Among those Somaya’s office has helped are Yanney, who grew up in Ghana and came to Connecticut 11 years ago. She completed her NCC studies even while working at Stamford Hospital and raising a family, and will enter Cornell University this fall to complete her four-year degree.
In recognition of her accomplishments, NCC made Yanney a featured speaker at NCC’s commencement ceremonies on Thursday. Yanney said she kept her message simple.
“It’s never too late to create the haven for your life,” Yanney said.
For Somaya, it is never too early to get started recruiting employers to make their opportunities known to next year’s graduates, with she and colleague Helen Boyke starting that process the day after NCC’s commencement.
She said there are more companies out there than ever willing to hear about those opportunities, as they create opportunities for the class of 2018 and beyond.
“Companies are eyeing (candidates) — and it’s a diverse mix of companies,” Somaya said. “Students should not fear to take that first step.”