“We’re trying to showcase to students what is available in the Lansing area to help them gain direct experience,” Jaques said.

The fair also serves to show students that many exciting high-wage and high-skill jobs exist in the Lansing area, said Matt Dugener, president and CEO of LEAP Inc.

Among the shaking of hands and the passing out of résumés, food industry management junior Jamarr Browner took a break to look at the list of attending companies.

“It’s very organized,” Browner said. “There are a lot of companies. It’s a good opportunity for students to hand out résumés.”

Employers included the Accident Fund Insurance Company of America, TechSmith, Jackson National Life Insurance Company, the city of Lansing and Sparrow Health System, as well as dozens of others.

Earn, Learn and Intern is the main event under JumpStart, a program run by LEAP that helps students find internships and job opportunities in the area year-round, said Dugener.

“We understand that a lot of students don’t mind working at stores and restaurants and other places in East Lansing, but if they really want experience in their field of study that is what JumpStart is for,” Dugener said.

About 106 companies attended the fair, Jaques said.

“We’re always in search of interns,” said Theresa Stevens, senior associate director of donor and public relations for the Capital Area United Way. “It’s a win-win situation for both — they help us run the day-to-day and the interns get real-world experience.”

Alex Novak knows this well. He is a software engineer for the Okemos-based software development company TechSmith and found his current job at a fair similar to Earn, Learn and Intern at Breslin Center in 2006.

The fair was heavily marketed, with about 48,000 e-mails being sent out, said Jaques.

As for a repeat of this year’s fair, he added that they definitely plan on doing it again next year.

“It’s a huge success,” Jaques said. “We had 280 students show up in the first hour.”