Ida Lee Wootten F acing teacher shortages, school districts engaged in more aggressive, early efforts to snare spring gradu- ates than in previous years, according to U.Va. To accommodate schools' need to hire teacher education graduates, the Career Services Office set up an extra day for recruiters from about 100 schools in 12 states to interview candidates they met at the Feb. 29 job fair. Prospective teachers in special education, mathematics, science and foreign languages have been particularly in demand, said Gigi Davis-White, an assistant director in career services who works with students in the Curry School of Education.
Demand is also very high in North Carolina.
Systems engineering and computer science are two of the most sought-after majors within U.Va. Graduating engineering students report multiple job offers from telecommunications companies, consulting firms, financial institutions and manufacturing firms in the aerospace, automotive, chemical and electrical fields. But not just engineers are needed for the new high-tech fields. Many early job offers are also being extended to students completing internships. Recognizing that internships offer a good way to identify fresh talent, companies are getting student interns early in their academic careers, then making earlier offers of permanent jobs.