Troy, N.Y. — According to the recent National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) Job Outlook 2018 survey, employers plans to hire four percent more new graduates during 2017-18 than they did in 2016-17 for their U.S. operations. This news comes just as the Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute hosts the 17th annual Spring Career Fair on Feb. 7 in the Alumni Sports and Recreations Center (Armory).  The fair will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

“The mission of the CCPD is to education students on how to effectively manage their careers so that can be world leaders in a technologically based global economy,” said Matt Cardin, CCPD Director. “Beyond planning the annual Career Fair, the CCPD provides a comprehensive menu of programs and services to assist students with defining and implementing their career plans. The fair is an exciting opportunity for us to showcase Rensselaer’s talented and diverse students across all our academic programs. Additionally, the Career Fair allows employers to seek out candidates for internships, co-ops, and full-time opportunities. We were pleased to host 150 companies and introduce them to the over 2,000 Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students who plan to attend the event this year.”

Cardin noted that the Career Fair also supports Rensselaer’s new initiative called The Arch. The Arch is a unique approach to education that provides flexibility in the semester schedule, allowing students to pursue professional and personal development opportunities that prepare them to meet the multifaceted challenges of the 21st century.

In an effort to literally place the “power to prepare for the fair in the hands of Rensselaer students,” the CCPD once again will offer a full-feature iPhone, iPad, and Android app. The Career Fair+ App, launched five years ago, provides students with instant access to all of the important information they would need for the Career Fair, including a map, employer profiles, the type of positions employers are recruiting for, and tips for success.

Each year, the annual CCPD Spring Career Fair attracts employers from across the country. This year, 70 employers that will participate in the fair hail from New York state, including several Capital Region-based companies. In addition, several companies will be traveling to Troy from as far as California, Colorado, Minnesota, and Texas, while others are from areas around the Northeast. During the fair, Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students will have the opportunity to meet and talk with nearly 400 representatives and alumni/ae from public- and private-sector employers.

Participating companies include: Allegrone Construction Company, Atlas Copco Comptec, Bloomberg, Capital Bank, Carve Systems, CDPHP, Central Intelligence Agency, Datto, Deloitte, Ducommun AeroStructures, Edgewell Personal Care, Edwards Lifesciences, FactSet Research Systems, General Dynamics Electric Boat, General Dynaimcs Mission Systems, GlobalFoundries, J.D. Irving Limited, Johnson and Johnson, LaBella Associates, Los Alamos National Lab, Lutron Electronics, MathWorks, MITRE Corporation, Momentive Performance Plastics, Naval Nuclear Laboratory, nfrastructure, PiSA BioPharm Pivitol, Raytheon, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Saab Defense and Security, SABIC, Sandia National Laboratories, Shamrock Technologies, Transfinder, UTC Aerospace Systems, Vicarious Visions, W.L. Gore & Associates, Wayfair, and WB Games NY.

The fair is designed to help students support their search for full-time, co-op, internship, or summer employment opportunities. Students from all five schools at Rensselaer are encouraged to attend. After attending the Career Fair, the CCPD encourages students to follow up with employers and register to attend the many employer information sessions that take place throughout the spring semester.

The annual spring Career Fair exemplifies the vision of The New Polytechnic, an emerging paradigm for teaching, learning, and research at Rensselaer, the foundation of which is the recognition that global challenges and opportunities are so great they cannot be adequately addressed by even the most talented person working alone. Rensselaer serves as a crossroads for collaboration — working with partners across disciplines, sectors, and geographic regions — to address complex global challenges, using the most advanced tools and technologies, many of which are developed at Rensselaer.

About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is America’s first technological research university. For nearly 200 years, Rensselaer has been defining the scientific and technological advances of our world. Rensselaer faculty and alumni represent 85 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 17 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 25 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 8 members of the National Academy of Medicine, 8 members of the National Academy of Inventors, and 5 members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, as well as 6 National Medal of Technology winners, 5 National Medal of Science winners, and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics. With 7,000 students and nearly 100,000 living alumni, Rensselaer is addressing the global challenges facing the 21st century—to change lives, to advance society, and to change the world. To learn more, go to www.rpi.edu.