More than 150 people ages 16 to 24 attended a city youth fair in the East Village neighborhood Tuesday, officials said.
The second Youth-Led Career Expo was held "to introduce young people to careers in construction, computer science, food service, transportation, government, nonprofits and more," the city said in an earlier statement.
The expo was held at UC San Diego Park & Market on Market Street and included more than 30 prospective employers, including several city departments, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, ACE Parking, Hawthorne Cat, San Diego Futures Foundation and Chick-fil-A.
"It was a really good day and people were very happy with it," a San Diego official said Tuesday.
Participants represented schools in the San Diego Unified School District and elsewhere in the county, and took professional head shots, according to the city.
Job seekers were encouraged to bring a draft resume for a free review and mock interview. The expo featured two panels of young professionals who offered "insights into their career paths and industry lessons," according to the city.
Christina Bibler, the city's Economic Development Department director, said following the success of the first Youth Expo, "there was no question" about holding a second one.
"Our department has recruited some of the best companies who want to hire youth within the Promise Zone and set them on the path to employment," Bibler said.
In 2016, San Diego became one of 22 federally designated Promise Zones in the United States and one of only four in California. The Promise Zone covers a 6.4-square-mile area that includes the East Village and Barrio Logan east to Encanto, "and brings together more than 85 organizations to provide comprehensive support to more than 80,000 San Diegans," according to the city.
