JA Inspire takes place virtually on the vFairs platform. Students and educators can explore careers and content together as a class and/or individually. Logins are set up by JA New York. To secure access for students, schools can complete a brief registration form at https://form.jotform.com/Diana_Lee/ja-inspire-registration

The virtual Career Expo is open on-demand between March 1st through June 30th, 2025. There is a “live” date on Wednesday, March 26th (9am-3pm) for online Q&A with volunteers. Students can log on at any point within that timeframe to participate in the online Q&A. (Note: Students who cannot participate on the live date may submit questions in advance.)

Contact Diana at DLee@jany.org

JA Inspire is a comprehensive career exploration resource that gives students easy access to the world of work. Benefits include:

• As a self-guided platform, JA Inspire supports students at every stage of their career exploration journey. Whether they want to gain exposure to a broader range of career clusters or dive deeper into specific pathways that interest them, JA Inspire provides valuable insights and resources. JA Inspire also encourages students to challenge themselves with new possibilities.
• Students who are ready can take “next steps” like finding leads on scholarships, internships, and other opportunities, or engaging in targeted Q&A with volunteers in their fields of interest.
• The “live” Q&A is an excellent opportunity to find volunteers from different fields in one “space”. Students can practice informational interviews in a low-pressure setting, and ask questions that are nuanced or benefit from diverse perspectives.
• JA Inspire includes online career exploration exercises that can be completed independently or in-class. The content aligns with Common Core and NY State Standards, making it a seamless addition to your existing career learning framework.
• JA Inspire can complement and extend other career and college readiness experiences (like Job Shadows, Career Days, etc.).

JJA Inspire is 100% free for schools and students. Thanks to the generosity of our wonderful sponsors and exhibitors, all costs are covered.

All platform content (including Q&A transcripts) will remain open through June 2025. If students can’t join the live date but still want to ask questions, they can send them in advance. Questions will be placed in the queue and be answered on the live date.

JA Inspire welcomes all students in grades 6 through 12. We welcome you to provide access to all your middle & high school students. (Note: If you are interested in enrolling alumni/older students, please contact Diana at DLee@jany.org to discuss.)

JA New York will provide resources upon registration. There are a few preparatory career exploration sessions to help students make the most of the virtual career expo (for example, a career inventory to link personal skills, interests, and values to future career options) followed by a post-event reflection to process the experience and plan next steps. The content is fully online and can be self-guided (many educators will assign as homework or extra credit!) or completed as a group in-class.

When students enter, they will first see a brief welcome video. Then they can start exploring!

• Exhibit Halls: Booths are roughly organized by career cluster, so students can look at the map and prioritize visiting the exhibitors that match their interests or challenge themselves to learn about a cluster they haven’t heard of or considered before. All schools will be provided with an exhibitor list so you will know which businesses & organizations will be present.
• To search for documents and videos across all the booths, check the Resources tab.
• Q&A: If visiting on the live date (Wednesday, March 26th, from 9am-3pm), students should take advantage of the Q&A! This is a great chance to ask questions about specific careers or the world of work in general, especially questions that are nuanced or would benefit from hearing multiple perspectives. Educators are more than welcome to join the Q&A.

Visit the Student Information page for a more guided walkthrough of the platform.

Students are responsible for demonstrating considerate and respectful behavior during the event. All Q&A activity will be monitored closely. Students demonstrating the following behaviors will be removed from the event with NO WARNING:

• Sending discriminatory, harassing, or threatening messages or images;
• Using obscene, profane, threatening, or disrespectful language in the Q&A;
• Sending messages that defame or slander other individuals;
• Intentionally disrespecting a presenter, volunteer, event staff, or another student;
• Engaging in any other illegal activities.

If your school is on the Clever network, students can access the expo through Clever Single Sign-On and you will not have to send any information to JA New York. Contact Diana at DLee@jany.org about approving the Clever connection.
If your school does not use Clever, we can randomly generate anonymous logins. You will not need to submit any student data.
Upon request, we can create user names that look like students’ names (e.g. John.Smith) or email addresses, to make the login process easier. Student information is not used for any other purpose and is never shared by JA or vFairs.

Contact Diana at DLee@jany.org

JA Inspire helps you learn about careers—ones that you may already be interested in and new ones that you may not even know existed! As you explore the careers that align with your skills and abilities, you may find a whole new field to consider, or a lead on an interesting scholarship, internship, or other resource to help you get started. You may also gain a deeper understanding of a career path by hearing from volunteers.

You will be pre-registered through your school. Your teacher will let you know if you will login through Clever, in which case you should select Clever Login, find your school name, and enter your usual school user name & password.
If you are not using Clever, you will be assigned a unique username by JA New York. You can ask your teacher for it or email DLee@jany.org if you are not sure. You will not need a password.

When you enter, a brief video will welcome you to the event. Then you can start exploring!

• Info Desk: Start here for a list of career clusters, exhibitors, and webinars.
• Exhibit Hall: You’ll find exhibitor booths are roughly organized into “halls” by career cluster, so you can prioritize visiting the ones that match your interests. You might also challenge yourself to look at a business or a career cluster you haven’t heard of or considered before. You never know what’s out there!
• Q&A: If you’re visiting on the live date (Wednesday, March 26th, from 9am-3pm), take advantage of the Q&A! This is your chance to ask questions about careers and the world of work, especially complex or nuanced questions that need a thoughtful answer, or where multiple perspectives would be helpful. Visit each booth and select Q&A to open the chat box and submit your question(s).

You can earn points in the virtual fair and potentially win prizes! Earn points by exploring career clusters, engaging meaningfully in Q&A, viewing and saving documents & videos, completing pre- and post-surveys, and more. User IDs will be visible on the Leaderboard during the Career Fair.

There is no student-to-student chat. You can chat with volunteers at different booths through the Q&A box on the live date on Wednesday, March 26th. All Q&A will be monitored.

Yes! As part of the platform, you have a virtual backpack for saving items. Later, you can enter an email address to send your saved resources.

All recorded content (including Q&A transcripts) will be accessible on-demand through June 2025. You can visit and revisit as much as you’d like. If you have questions for exhibitors, you can submit them at the booths. They will go into the queue for volunteers to answer on the live date.

Students are responsible for demonstrating considerate and respectful behavior during the event. All Q&A activity will be monitored closely. Students demonstrating the following behaviors will be removed from the event with NO WARNING:

• Sending discriminatory, harassing, or threatening messages or images;
• Using obscene, profane, threatening, or disrespectful language in the Q&A;
• Sending messages that defame or slander other individuals;
• Intentionally disrespecting a presenter, volunteer, event staff, or another student;
• Participating in cyber bullying or harassment;
• Engaging in any other illegal activities.

Contact Diana at DLee@jany.org

Imagine what you would use at a real-life job fair – what visual aids or information would you bring? Your booth is an opportunity to showcase your organization, highlight the different career pathways available, and engage students with the possibilities of working at your company. Introduce students to your company in an inclusive and inspiring way, by sharing interesting information & resources, and connecting them with caring volunteers who will answer their questions thoughtfully!

• You can link to relevant pages on your organization’s website.
• You can include documents and videos to engage students at your booth and that can be saved for future reference. Examples: short “Career Speaker” or “Day in the Life” documents or videos focusing on specific roles in your company.
• You can include resources especially relevant to high school students, including information on internships, apprenticeships, scholarships, competitions, and in-person or virtual events. More examples and ideas can be found in the JA New York Inspire Exhibitor Guide.

Students will be logging on throughout the day to ask questions about the careers in your organization. Volunteers will be needed from 9am-3pm. If you have multiple volunteers, you are welcome to divide the time into shorter shifts!
Volunteers can be from any department or business unit. It can be helpful to have someone from human resources or recruiting available for at least a portion of the day, as many questions will center on hiring, training, and the workplace. Aiming for a diverse pool of volunteers (from different backgrounds, experience levels, and career pathways) allows students to hear different perspectives.

Please refer to your JA New York Inspire Exhibitor guide for a detailed walkthrough, instructions, and screenshots.

Contact Diana at DLee@jany.org