BY BRIAN HALL; Staff writer

The Franklin County Career Expo is making improvements this year – starting with a change of venue.

This year’s expo will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 22, about a month later than the inaugural event, but the change also allowed a switch to a new host. Shippensburg University will host the expo for Franklin County sophomore students in the Ceddia Union Building. The facility offers plenty of room for the approximately 1,500 students expected to be in attendance.

“The timing is good for us,” said co-chair Sandy Traynor. “The SU students are gone and there’s nothing happening yet, which is why we chose that date. We envision doing similar things to last year.” The way facilities at SU are set up, it’ll allow for more of a mix of breakout sessions and exhibitor areas near the same space.

Students representing Chambersburg Area, Fannett- Metal, Shippensburg Area, Tuscarora and Waynesboro Area school districts as well as Shalom Christian Academy plan to attend. Greencastle-Antrim School District – which has a similar event for its sophomore students and Cumberland Valley Christian School declined invitations. Last year, the expo was open to over 3,000 eighth and 10thgrade students across the county.

The event will include a keynote speaker, exhibitors, breakout sessions, entrepreneurial competition and door prizes. Students will be able to select breakout sessions of high-interest. Traynor said the Franklin County Career and Technology Center will again have presence at the expo.

Last year’s event was hosted by Chambersburg Area Senior High School in the field house, auditorium, gymnasium and several classrooms. Because CASHS has an additional class of students now attending the school, it wasn’t as feasible to host the event.

The inclusion of Shippensburg University will also add a more in-depth college component not available in the first expo.

Other changes include a greater cross-section from the business, education and manufacturing communities.

“It’s going to be similar to last year, but we want to make it better,” said Traynor. “But, that was the whole idea.We wanted to have the maiden career expo and then every year after that it gets better. We have a lot more people working on it this year.”

The event is sponsored by the Greater Chambersburg Chamber of Commerce. Additional sponsors are still welcome.

“What continued to impress me from the first year is that all the districts worked together,” said Traynor. “For me, personal-ly, that’s very important that the school districts in Franklin County all work together. The school districts bought into this.”