LAKE GEORGE. N.Y. (NEWS10) – On Wednesday, tables and chairs were set up in the gymnasium at Lake George Jr.-Sr. High School for a job fair, facilitated by Warren County, to ensure that the region’s summer workforce will be ready for a season still full of variables.

Around 30 employees from local businesses set up tables to talk with students about different employment opportunities, many referred by the Lake George Chamber of Commerce.

Lake George High School Principal Francis Cocozza said the fair was a success, and that it was encouraging to see the degree to which students cared.

“Our students were excited and interested in learning about the various employment opportunities within the Lake George region,” Cocozza said in a release. “We had unprecedented student inquiries for working papers in the weeks leading up to the fair and immediately after.”

Students entered the gym in small groups to ensure COVID-19 safety.

One student from the high school created a promotional video for the job fair ahead of time, interviewing several students about their own summer job experiences.

Warren County said the job fair program they created for Lake George can easily be used by other school districts in the region. The job fair was developed in part by county employment and training director Liza Ochsendorf, who has prior experience in job fairs.

“Through work experience, students gain valuable and long-term skills to utilize in the workforce and they become more rooted in the community at a time when we want and need them to stay local after graduation,” Ochsendorf said. “Job opportunities also provide access to additional role models, it is constructive use of a student’s time, and you literally watch their confidence skyrocket as they flourish in their jobs.”

Other school districts interested in hosting job fairs for their students are invited to contact Ochsendorf at (518) 824-8865, or by email at ochsendorfl@warrencountyny.gov.