On Tuesday, Lehigh University’s College of Education hosted a job fair at Iacocca Hall. Graduate students and current educators attended the event to connect with fellow professionals and explore job opportunities within local school districts.
Representatives from 21 school districts across the Lehigh Valley set up booths to meet with prospective applicants. The job fair featured a wide range of employers — including charter, private and public schools.
This marked the College of Education’s second time hosting a career fair. However, Brook Sawyer, a professor and associate dean for graduate studies in the College of Education, said she and her colleagues approached the event differently this year. She said the fair was moved earlier in the semester, so it’d take place before most graduate students committed to positions.
Sawyer and her colleagues enlisted the help of Lehigh’s Center for Career and Professional Development. Ali Erk, a representative from the center, promoted the job fair and led a professional skills workshop for graduate students in the College of Education ahead of the event.
After attending both last year and this year’s fairs, Karen Zacca, the director of human resources at Moravian Academy in Bethlehem, said she was pleasantly surprised by the increase in turnout.
“It looks like there’s about double the (number of) candidates walking around this job fair today, compared to last year, and that is just so encouraging,” Zacca said. “It’s a much-needed chance for students to get in front of people that they wouldn’t otherwise get in front of.”
Sawyer and Lehigh’s College of Education staff said they were motivated to host the event because of the ongoing teacher shortage in the Lehigh Valley and nationwide.
Due to declining interest in teaching among young adults, school districts across the country are struggling to fill positions. According to the Learning Policy Institute, 411, 549 teaching positions — about one in eight nationwide — were unfilled or inadequately filled during the 2024-25 school year.
The shortage has impacted local schools differently. Ramona Hollie, the director of talent management and recruitment at Allentown Area School District, said the district is primarily seeking special education, science, technology, engineering, art and math teachers. She emphasized the importance of hiring STEAM-focused educators, citing the district’s two STEAM-focused academies.
Other schools have had different experiences. Zacca said Moravian Academy, despite having a smaller budget than public schools, hasn’t struggled to recruit teachers.
Zac Martin, a graduate student in the College of Education, attended the fair in hopes of securing a job after graduation. He said the event helped connect students who are unfamiliar with the Lehigh Valley, potentially easing local shortages.
“Someone like me — I’m not originally from Lehigh Valley, so I don’t really have any connections,” Martin said. “These are ways to build connections and just to even know what’s out there.”
Sawyer said while the job fair is helpful, it doesn’t solve the root cause of the teacher shortage.
“This event alone is not going to mitigate a shortage, because we need more individuals to come in and want to be educators,” Sawyer said. “However, this is helping people find positions upon graduating, so we’re trying to support our local community in filling those kinds of holes.”
Sawyer said she sympathizes with the challenges educators face and understands the hesitation some feel about entering the profession.
“It’s a hard job,” she said. “You don’t get paid a whole lot of money for all the effort that you put in, but there’s a lot of benefits that you’re reaping, and you’re building the next generation, and you’re supporting your community.”
Jamie Hill, the principal of Arts Academy Charter Middle School, shared similar frustrations.
“No teacher is paid enough,” Hill said. “Let’s be real, I’ve been an educator for almost 20 years, and at no point in time was I ever paid my worth.”
Without an immediate solution to low teacher salaries, Sawyer said she focuses on reminding students of the importance of their work through creative initiatives.
At the beginning of the school year, the College of Education launched a social media campaign called “What’s Your Why?” The series featured local educators discussing the joy and purpose they find in their profession.
“You are empowering the next generation — you are really making a difference in the life of that student, in the success of your community,” Sawyer said. “Teaching is a form of social justice — a profession people can take pride in changing the lives of students.”